Evidence

Multiple mainstream outlets — NBC San Diego, NBC News, ABC News, ABC7 Los Angeles, Axios, Fox 13, The Hill, and Snopes — all reported that President Trump, speaking at a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, said words to the effect that Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego while discussing Iran's nuclear program. Snopes specifically fact-checked whether Trump said this and confirmed he did say the quoted words. California Governor Gavin Newsom and the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego publicly condemned the remarks. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung pushed back on the characterization, saying Trump was 'clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped,' i.e. disputing the interpretation (not the fact that he said it) that Trump was endorsing or inviting an attack.