California Democrats slammed Donald Trump after he joked the US should let Iran 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego at a rally in Nebraska on Monday. The President campaigned in Grand Island alongside GOP Senator Pete Ricketts, who is running against an independent candidate backed by national Democrats. Trump was defending the Iran War and explaining that higher gas prices - which he hopes to lower with an Executive Order ⁠expanding ​access to tax-exempt ​diesel - are a small price to pay to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon. 'And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,' he said. He then quipped that a nuclear Iran 'could take out a city.' 'Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego,' he added, as the crowd cheered and applauded. 'This is a very small price to pay, and it's gonna be over with very soon. It's essentially almost over with,' Trump added.

Both the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego ripped Trump for suggesting he was joking about Iran taking out either of their cities. '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,' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told The Daily Mail. 'The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives.' San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, a Democrat like Bass, added: 'San Diego is not collateral damage.

We are not expendable. And we are never a "small price to pay." Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.' California Governor Gavin Newsom, a frequent sparring partner of Trump with presidential ambitions of his own, also chimed in. '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. He is deranged and dangerous,' Newsom said. The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.

At the rally, Trump said he signed an executive order aimed at driving down record diesel prices as soaring fuel costs threaten to squeeze American truckers, businesses and consumers just weeks before the midterm elections. Diesel surged to around $6.50 a gallon last month, piling fresh pressure on the White House as the November 3 vote approaches and threatening to push up the cost of transporting everything from groceries to construction materials across the country. The dramatic spike has been fueled by turmoil overseas and in response to the ​wars in Iran and Ukraine which have led to attacks ​on refineries in Russia and the Middle East.

Trump's new order seeks to rapidly expand the amount of diesel available to American motorists and businesses, including by opening the door to greater use of so-called red-dyed diesel. Red dye diesel is normally reserved for agriculture, construction equipment and other off-road uses and is exempt from federal highway taxes. The order will likely direct the Department of Transportation to coordinate with states to waive taxes on road diesel. Under the administration's plan, restrictions could be temporarily eased to allow more of that fuel into the road transportation market as officials scramble to increase supply and push prices lower.

The executive order is also expected to direct the Department of Transportation to work with states on potentially waiving taxes imposed on diesel used on highways. The move marks the latest attempt by Trump to tackle a fuel-price surge that has become an increasingly urgent economic and political problem ahead of the midterms. Truckers have been particularly exposed because diesel is the lifeblood of America's freight network, with higher prices rapidly translating into increased costs for companies moving goods thousands of miles around the country.

Those costs can ultimately ripple through the economy as businesses decide whether to absorb the increase or pass it on to consumers. Trump had already piled pressure on America's allies to take action over the crunch and even considered banning US diesel exports in an effort to keep more fuel at home. G7 nations announced last week that they would release 100 million barrels of diesel and other fuel from emergency stockpiles in an effort to calm markets and bolster supplies. But questions remain over how much of that promised release represents genuinely additional fuel rather than barrels that countries had already committed to making available under a global agreement reached in March.