Tactless.
Showing little sensitivity or judgment in what one says.
Patriotism. Some cities sold separately.
A presidential reassurance, followed by a White House explanation.
There are many ways to reassure Americans about a war. Naming two American cities after “let them take out” is an ambitious departure from the genre.
The White House says Trump meant he is preventing an Iranian attack. Good. A comforting clarification to need from the man whose opening pitch included Los Angeles and San Diego.
Keeping the country safe is a big job. Keeping its cities out of your rhetorical wastebasket should be the easy part.
Perhaps next time, try a sentence that doesn’t require a rescue operation.
The facts have
their own punchline.
At an October 5 rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump discussed Iran, the war and its costs. Rev’s transcript records: “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.” On October 6, AP reported that White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump was explaining why he was preventing Iran from having that capability, not calling for attacks. We criticize the rhetoric; we do not assert that Trump ordered or formally invited an attack.
Full rally transcript · passage at 11:37 ↗
AP · White House response, October 6 ↗
Scope and context
Tactless is our editorial judgment. The headline, wastebasket and rescue-operation language are satire. The cities in the cartoon remain intact; it depicts reckless speech, not an actual attack.