Trump himself still has not retracted his words, clarified what he meant, or said whether he misspoke.
That alone is a statement.
UNDEREXAMINED STORY
The President of the United States said:
โLET โEM TAKE OUT LOS ANGELES.
LET โEM TAKE OUT SAN DIEGO.โ
Then:
โTHIS IS A VERY SMALL PRICE TO PAY.โ
The mayors of both cities he named condemned it.
So did California's governor, attorney general, members of Congress, a national organization representing America's mayors, and Republicans.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria:
โSAN DIEGO IS NOT COLLATERAL DAMAGE.โ
Republican Navy veteran Jim Desmond:
โNO AMERICAN CITY IS EXPENDABLE.โ
The White House says Trump meant the Iran war was preventing those cities from being attacked.
But here's what hasn't happened:
TRUMP HIMSELF HAS NOT CLARIFIED THE REMARK.
HE HAS NOT RETRACTED IT.
Maybe he misspoke.
Maybe the White House explanation accurately describes what he intended.
But after leaders responsible for the cities he named publicly condemned his words, Trump had the easiest possible way to settle that question:
SAY THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT.
He hasn't.
The White House explained his words.
THE PRESIDENT HAS LEFT HIS WORDS STANDING.