Jack White branded President Donald Trump the “Worst American of All Time” after a Nebraska rally riff about the Iran war swerved into Los Angeles and San Diego being hit.
Trump’s Monday night pitch to supporters put higher gas prices in the category of wartime sacrifice before he shifted to what Iran could do to an American city.
“They can take out a city,” Trump said. “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.”
The applause that followed became part of the fight, with critics questioning whether the crowd was cheering Trump’s energy-cost argument or the idea of two California cities under attack.
Trump: You wanna see trauma? You wanna see problems? I said it the other day, let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. You wanna see problems? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles. You wanna see a country that would be in free fall, we're not… pic.twitter.com/Yad0NpyoR8
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) October 8, 2026
White’s Instagram post spoke directly to Trump backers in Los Angeles and San Diego, telling them to watch the footage themselves.
“Hey republicans and conservatives that live in L.A. and San Diego; how do you feel about your Fuhrer recommending that the cities you live in get attacked? Click the video I reposted and watch for yourself,” White wrote.
“Listen to the cult members CLAPPING and cheering for this. Let me take a wild guess: it was a joke, owning the libs, insert cult rhetoric here, etc. The allegiance these people have to this corrupt felon is so laughable and ignorant.”
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To White, the rally line showed a president singling out major U.S. cities because they failed to show him loyalty.
“That’s right, a U.S. ‘President’ that recommended that two major cities in our country be bombed because they don’t give total allegiance to his ego,” he continued.
The post then jumped from the California remark to White’s fear that Trump would interfere with the midterm elections if Republicans lose badly.
“Imagine any other President or elected official in history saying this. False flag incoming anyone? Just wait till next month when he begins enacting illegal measures to not allow democracy at the polls to prevail when the right lose badly in the mid term elections. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Worst American of All Time.”
In California, the same rally line landed as a statement about millions of people living in the places Trump named.
Xavier Becerra (D-CA), who is running for governor, answered by putting Los Angeles and San Diego counties’ combined population at 13 million.
“Thirteen million Californians call LA and San Diego counties home. Their lives are not a ‘small price to pay’ or a punchline for Donald Trump,” Becerra posted.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D-CA) warned that Trump’s words could endanger the city she leads.
“The President of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles. His statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety,” Bass said.
“The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives. In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) used a Tuesday media push to call Trump “mentally ill” and urge officials to invoke the 25th Amendment.
For Newsom, the city-name remark fit with his criticism of Trump’s decision to send the National Guard and Marines into California.
“After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom posted, calling Trump “deranged and dangerous.”
On late night TV, Jimmy Kimmel played the Nebraska footage for a Hollywood audience that booed while the rally crowd could be heard cheering.
“Oh, you’re booing, but they’re cheering,” Kimmel observed.
Kimmel focused on the idea of a wartime president putting two American cities into an Iran attack scenario.
“I know this is something we’ll forget about by Thursday when he accidentally swallows a baby at a rally or whatever the hell he does next, but that’s one of the craziest, most indefensible statements I have ever heard even this maniac make.”
Kimmel accused Trump of “openly musing about Iran, a country we are currently at war with, taking out two American cities.”
“While his adoring fans cheer him on,” Kimmel noted.
Kimmel then twisted the crowd reaction into a dark joke about liberals being acceptable targets.
“It’s OK, because we’re liberals; we deserve to be bombed,” he quipped.
The segment closed with Kimmel turning Trump’s rally language into an insult about his age and condition.
“Can somebody please change this man’s diaper already? I think that old nut has been sitting in his own excrement too long! He has the “rantavirus” and it needs to be treated, medically,” Kimmel said. “Now we have our own President wishing death to America!”
On Wednesday, Trump again used Los Angeles and San Diego to argue for action that he said would keep such an attack from happening.
“You want to see trauma? You want to see problems? And I said it the other day, let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. You want to see a horror show? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles,” Trump said.
“You want to see some bad things happen? You want see a country in free fall? We’re not going to let that happen,” he continued.