Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass fired back at Vice President JD Vance for his remarks during a news conference on Friday.
During the press conference, Vance misidentified Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) as "Jose Padilla." Vance's press secretary later said Vance "must have mixed up two people who have broken the law," a not-so-subtle jab at Padilla's detention during a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week.
Bass expressed outrage at Vance's gaffe.
"Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our Senator?" Bass said. "You don't know his name, but yet you served with him before you were Vice President, and you continue to serve with him today."
"The last time I checked, the Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate," Bass continued. "You serve with him today, so how dare you disrespect him and call him 'Jose.' But I guess he just looks like anybody to you."
Vance's comments set off a firestorm online, with social media commentators calling Vance a "racist piece of trash" and a "dumb---."
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) also weighed in on Vance's comments, saying that "calling him 'Jose Padilla' is not an accident."
Misinformation has swirled around Padilla's detention last week. Shortly after it happened, Noem claimed on Fox News that Padilla didn't identify himself while he was in the room. Video of the incident contradicted that claim, as Padilla could clearly be heard identifying himself as a U.S. senator.
Padilla pushed back on some of the misinformation in an op-ed for The New York Times and described what's happening in Los Angeles as "a warning shot."
