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Trump made the remarks at a political rally in Nebraska on Monday as he spoke about Americans' wartime economic sacrifices.
"Remember, with the war, it's just artificial, it's a little bit high, it's a small price to pay," he said then. "It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, for keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be over with very soon."
California's Democratic leaders and some fellow Republicans quickly rebuked the remarks.
"What I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of Gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a Nuclear Weapon," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday.
"If you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?" he continued, saying he loved both cities.
Trump has shrugged off cost-of-living concerns stemming from the Iran conflict before.