Hell Freezes Over: CNN Fact-Checker Comes to Trump’s Aid Again

CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale pushed back on attacks against President Donald Trump for the second time this week after comments the commander in chief made about Iran were taken out of context.

It began Tuesday when Dale pointed out that a clip of Trump — which was d by an account linked to Kamala Harris — was not a direct quote from the president and was highly misleading, Mediate reported.

The X account “@HQNewsNow” posted a clip of the president from a Monday rally in Nebraska with the caption: “Trump on Iran: Let ’em take out Los Angeles and San Diego, it’s a small price to pay.”

Despite criticizing Trump’s delivery style, Dale pointed out that “this isn’t a direct quote from Trump, and I very much don’t think it’s a correct paraphrase.”

“Trump has repeatedly argued that the consequences of the war, like higher gas prices, are a small price to pay compared to what an unchecked Iran could allegedly do,” he added.

This isn’t a direct quote from Trump, and I very much don’t think it’s a correct paraphrase. Trump has repeatedly argued that the consequences of the war, like higher gas prices, are a small price to pay compared to what an unchecked Iran could allegedly do. Last night, in especially rambling and incomplete fashion, he 1) claimed high prices are temporary and suggested they’re “artificial”; 2) contrasted that to the damage of Iran supposedly taking out a city; 3) and then, in especially confusing style, repeated his old point that “this,” as in the consequences of the war, is a small price to pay to avoid something like a a city being wiped out.

It’s Trump’s fault you kinda have to be steeped in TrumpRallySpeak to know what he was saying last night, and of course you can say it’s inappropriate regardless for the president to casually float the possibility of a city being wiped out, but the context exists and is important.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 6, 2026

The president was saying that increased fuel prices are a “small price to pay,” considering a nuclear-armed Iran could take out an American city. He was not encouraging destruction against America in any way.

When Trump echoed the same sentiment during a rally for U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton on Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas, liberal writer Aaron Rupar tried posting the clip as evidence that the president wasn’t taken out of context, prompting Dale to speak out once more.

“I see some people treating this post as evidence Trump wasn’t taken out of context in the previous speech,” Dale declared. “In fact, this post even *more* obviously takes him out of context. This time, Trump said right after this comment, ‘We’re not gonna let that happen. We protect our cities, we protect our country.’ (Rupar’s post includes that comment, but the caption doesn’t).

“And right before this comment, Trump was talking about how oil prices are not as high as people thought the war would send them,” he continued. “In other words, he was, as he has on previous occasions, contrasting the big damage Iran could (supposedly) do to cities with a nuclear weapon with the (supposedly) minimal harm of the war.”

The CNN fact-checker then included the full remarks from Trump so viewers could have a total picture.

I see some people treating this post as evidence Trump wasn’t taken out of context in the previous speech. In fact, this post even *more* obviously takes him out of context.

This time, Trump said right after this comment, “We’re not gonna let that happen. We protect our cities, we protect our country.” (Rupar’s post includes that comment, but the caption doesn’t). And right before this comment, Trump was talking about how oil prices are not as high as people thought the war would send them. In other words, he was, as he has on previous occasions, contrasting the big damage Iran could (supposedly) do to cities with a nuclear weapon with the (supposedly) minimal harm of the war.

Here are the full relevant remarks. (Critics are free to call them inappropriate, but people should see the entire monologue.)

“And just as I promised, I am ensuring that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon…Never. They know that. They know that. And we’ll be out of there soon. And you watch those oil prices come down like a rock, and watch everything; everything else is coming down. Oil is coming down. You know, we pay less than oil, and we did that whole thing with – because that was a big operation that should have been done by past presidents for many years. It should have been done, but nobody wanted to take it on. We had no choice. Because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. And I’ll tell you what. Oil: a little more, maybe more than a little, but a lot of people thought it’d be 3, 4, 5 times that. When I went in, I thought it could be much higher than that. But we are paying less than under the Biden administration; he didn’t do anything. He gave you the highest inflation in history. He didn’t do anything. But you want to see trauma? You want to see problems? And I said it the other day: Let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles. On the way – let them hit – you want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles. And you want to see some bad things happen, you want to see a country that would be in freefall. We’re not going to let that happen. We protect our cities, we protect our country. We’re not letting that happen. And they’d use it too. They’d use it. They would use it.”

https://t.co/UVHAmtNh0j

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 8, 2026

“And I’ll tell you what. Oil: a little more, maybe more than a little, a lot of people thought it’d be three, four, five times that,” Trump stated. “When I went in, I thought it could be much higher than that. But we are paying less than under the Biden administration; he didn’t do anything. He gave you the highest inflation in history. He didn’t do anything. But you want to see trauma? You want to see problems? And I said it the other day: Let [Iran] hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles, on the way.”

“You want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles,” the president added. “And you want to see some bad things happen, you want to see a country that would be in freefall. We’re not going to let that happen. We protect our cities, we protect our country. We’re not letting that happen. And they’d use it too. They’d use it. They would use it.”

Additionally, Dale pointed out that another high-profile media clipper, who posted the moment with additional context, didn’t get as many views as Rupar.

“Another prominent clipper of Trump’s remarks, @Acyn, included the ‘we’re not letting that happen’ quote in his caption,” Dale noted. “Coincidentally or not, his post has 74,000 views to the 415,000 views on the Rupar post that doesn’t include that quote in the caption.”

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