Trump Rally Remark on Iran Sparks Newsom 25th Amendment Call

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called Tuesday for the invocation of the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office, describing the president as mentally ill after remarks at a Nebraska rally in which Trump said Iran could attack Los Angeles or San Diego as a small price to pay for U.S. security.

The comments came amid an ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran that Trump began in February and initially promised would conclude within weeks. At the Monday event in Grand Island, Trump addressed voter concerns over rising fuel costs tied to the war, saying the expenses represented a small price for keeping the world and the country safe. He added that Iran could take out a city, specifically naming Los Angeles and San Diego, before repeating that the trade-off remained minor. The audience responded with applause.

Newsom, in statements to multiple outlets and posts on social media, labeled the remarks dangerous and deranged, warning they put a target on two major California cities and a key naval hub. He directed the state's threat-assessment center to heighten monitoring for any signs that foreign actors might interpret the comments as an opening. California Sen. Alex Padilla echoed the call, posting that the 25th Amendment should be invoked immediately. Newsom has made similar arguments in prior months, including after Trump's July remarks on election integrity, which the governor described as the rambling of a mad king.

The 25th Amendment provides a mechanism for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare the president unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, at which point the vice president would assume the role of acting president. Section 4 of the amendment has never been used to remove a sitting president, and any such effort would face steep procedural and political hurdles in a divided government.

The White House has defended Trump's statement as a reference to the risks the U.S. avoided by confronting Iran before it could become a nuclear power, arguing that critics took the line out of context. Trump himself declined to elaborate when approached by reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, instead waving off the question and pivoting to other topics. Some Republican allies have pointed to earlier Democratic defenses of former President Joe Biden's fitness as evidence of inconsistent standards on questions of mental capacity.

The exchange fits into a longer pattern of friction between Trump and California Democrats. Newsom has positioned himself as a frequent critic of the administration's policies and rhetoric, while Trump has repeatedly singled out the state in campaign appearances. The latest remarks arrive weeks before the midterms, as both parties seek to frame the costs and benefits of the Iran conflict for voters concerned about domestic prices and national security.

Analysts note that public discussion of presidential fitness often intensifies during periods of high political tension, yet the 25th Amendment remains a rarely tested constitutional tool whose activation depends on cooperation across branches of government.