Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass ripped Vice President JD Vance on Friday after he referred to Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla as “Jose.”
Newsweek reached out to the office of Bass for additional comment Friday night.
Why It Matters
Republican President Donald Trump has prioritized immigration control as a key pillar of his second administration. The president campaigned in 2024 on the promise of mass deportations and appointed Tom Homan as his administration’s border czar to execute his agenda.
Protests broke out this month in Los Angeles in reaction to numerous U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the area. Trump sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles amid the strife, against the wishes of California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
The move was ultimately reversed by a judge, restoring Newsom’s control over the state’s Guard forces.
What To Know
Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), scheduled a news conference in Los Angeles last week regarding the ongoing protests, and Padilla, a California Democrat, was in attendance. Video footage from the incident showed Padilla pushed to the ground and handcuffed outside the door while attempting to speak to Noem during the conference.
Noem stopped speaking for a brief moment during the commotion, then immediately continued. The DHS said she met with Padilla for 15 minutes after the gathering.
Vance on Friday landed in Los Angeles amid the Trump administration’s ramped up ICE raids in the city. While speaking to reporters, he was asked a question in reference to Padilla’s forced removal from Noem’s briefing.
“The New York Times just did a story” about lawmakers who “keep getting handcuffed, suggesting that … the Trump administration is cracking down on Democrats,” a reporter said. “Can you comment on that?”
“Well, I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately, I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn’t the theater,” the vice president said. “And that’s all it is. I think everybody realizes that’s what this is.”
Bass afterward called out Vance, saying, “Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our senator. You don’t know his name,” Bass questioned. “But yet you served with him before you were vice president and you continue to serve with him today, because the last time I checked, the vice president of the United States is the president of the U.S. Senate.”
Bass continued, “You serve with him today and how dare you disrespect him and call him ‘Jose.’ But I guess he just looked like anybody to you. Well, he’s not just anybody to us. He is our senator.”
When asked about the incident, a Vance spokesperson previously told Newsweek that “He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.”
Bass has been a stanch critic of the Trump administration amid the ICE raids throughout the City of Angels and vowed to stand in solidarity with immigrant communities in her city.
The mayor has also called for peaceful protests and condemned any violence in reaction to immigration initiatives set in motion by the White House. She also set a curfew for a portion of downtown Los Angeles amid the ongoing unrest.
What People Are Saying
Newsom on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday: “JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate. Calling him ‘Jose Padilla’ is not an accident.”
Padilla posted to X on Friday: “I asked a question—and ended up in handcuffs. If this is how the Trump administration treats a U.S. Senator in broad daylight, imagine what they’re doing to immigrants behind closed doors. We cannot stay silent. We will not back down.”
California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff wrote on X Friday: “JD Vance served alongside Alex Padilla, and knows better. He’s taking this cheap shot to distract from the real fear and havoc this Administration is creating. It’s pathetic.”
What Happens Next
It is believed that the Trump administration will continue executing his campaign promise of mass deportations throughout the country.