Newsom calls for 25th Amendment after Trump's remarks on California
Desmond objected to Trump’s comments and faced questions about how the controversy could affect his competitive House race.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates WHNT.com, where this article appeared. The other scores rate the article itself.
WHNT is an established local-news outlet, and the article has a named author and attributes claims to named officials and strategists. The text appears to be work by a reporter associated with The Hill, so the reporting appears to have originated elsewhere.
- Source type — Established local-news publisher; a credible outlet, though not a national newspaper of record.
- Transparency — The report identifies several named speakers and attributes their statements.
- Author attribution — A named author is supplied.
- Editorial standards — The material shows conventional reported-news practices, but the text does not establish a corrections record.
The report includes statements from the White House, a Republican candidate, Democratic officials, and strategists from both parties. It gives useful campaign context, though some sources are anonymous and the article provides limited detail about the rally remarks themselves.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article gives substantial space to criticism of Trump while also presenting the White House’s explanation and Republican perspectives on the campaign consequences. Some sources are anonymous, and there is no direct response from Trump in the article.
- Counterarguments presented — The White House and a former Trump campaign aide offer defenses or context for the remarks.
- Source diversity — Includes Democratic and Republican officials and strategists.
- Omitted context — Trump’s remarks are described but not quoted directly in full, and Trump does not respond personally.
- Loaded language — Critical characterizations mostly appear in attributed quotations, although the lead calls the remarks a source of outrage.
The article reports criticism of Trump alongside defenses of his remarks and Republican strategists’ differing assessments of the political impact. Most evaluative language is attributed to sources rather than presented as the reporter’s own judgment.
- Source selection — Includes Democratic critics, a White House response, a former Trump aide, and Republican strategists.
- Language tone — The opening uses “stoking outrage,” but the strongest judgments are quoted and attributed.
- Framing — Frames the remarks as a political controversy and examines possible effects on candidates.
Cites The Hill
This article cites The Hill as its original publisher. ChamberLight has not verified that it is a republication, so the scores are WHNT.com's own.
356 stories · 77.5–78.1 · updated Oct 12, 2026
This is The Hill's own score. The Source Check scores are for WHNT.com and this article.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for invoking the 25th Amendment after President Trump’s remarks about Los Angeles and San Diego. Republican House candidate Jim Desmond also objected, as strategists discussed the comments’ potential effect on California races.
The article reports that Trump suggested at a midterm rally that he would allow Iran to “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego. Newsom called Trump “mentally ill” and posted “TIME FOR THE 25TH!” after previously describing him as “deranged and dangerous.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also criticized Trump’s remarks. Desmond, a Republican running for a San Diego-area House seat, said he “vehemently” disagreed and that no American city should be treated as expendable.
The White House’s communications director said the backlash was “not rooted in reality” and argued Trump was describing the threat posed by a nuclear Iran. A former Trump campaign aide said the remarks were a distraction, while strategists offered differing views on whether they could hurt Republicans or help candidates such as Desmond distinguish themselves from Trump. The article also reports that Trump used an anti-trans slur about South Carolina Senate nominee Annie Andrews.
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SWIPE →Republican candidate for a San Diego-area House district who criticized Trump’s remarks
President whose remarks about California cities and a post about Annie Andrews drew criticism
Los Angeles mayor who criticized Trump’s remarks
Democratic Senate nominee targeted by Trump in a social media post
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