Similar to his superior, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance often has the ability to provoke his political adversaries. This was apparent on Friday when Vance referred to Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) as “Jose Padilla” during a visit to California.
As previously reported, Vance’s remarks were made in Los Angeles in response to a question about Democrats arrested by the Trump administration. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reacted, stating, “You served 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.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also hinted at racial implications, tweeting, “JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate. Calling him ‘Jose Padilla’ is not an accident.”
