On Saturday, Sen. Alex Padilla retaliated against Vice President JD Vance, accusing him of being “petty and unserious” for addressing the senator as “Jose” during Vance’s Los Angeles news conference the night before.
In the wake of President Trump’s immigration crackdown in the city—which has witnessed many ICE raids and substantial counterprotests in the last few weeks—the quarrel between Padilla and Vance represents the most recent confrontation between Trump administration officials and California Democrats.
Padilla told MSNBC on Saturday morning, “He knows my name.” “Listen, that’s unfortunate, but it shows how insignificant and careless this administration is. He holds the position of vice president in the US. He ought to be more concerned about the situation in Hollywood, right?
Amidst the heightened tensions, Vance visited Los Angeles on Friday to meet with federal law enforcement and the Marines his administration sent to quell anti-ICE protesters in the city—a decision that Democrats criticized.
The decision to call in National Guard troops was upheld this week by a federal appeals court. During his speech, Vance criticized his former Senate colleague, who had been removed from a press briefing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week after trying to question her. The colleague had been handcuffed and removed.
Regarding Padilla’s handcuffing at Noem’s briefing last week, Vance criticized it as “pure political theater” and expressed his disappointment that Padilla did not attend the event to pose a question.
Taylor Van Kirk, who was Vance’s press secretary, stated that the vice president “must have mixed up two people who have broken the law” due to his miscommunication.
Following the altercation during Noem’s news conference, senator Padilla was absolved of charges. Jose Padilla was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and support terrorism more than fifteen years ago, but it is unclear to whom Van Kirk may be referring.
The Democrats in California were not having any of it.
“JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom on X. “His name is Jose Padilla, and that is not a coincidence.”
Later on Friday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass firmly condemned Vance’s previous remarks during a press conference.
“How dare you disregard our senator,” Bass admonished the vice president. “I suppose he just appears ordinary to you,” the mayor went on to say, seemingly alluding to the racist undertones in Vance’s remark.
Padilla retaliated at Vance’s criticism of “political theater” by writing an open letter to his former Senate colleague and current vice president in an email to X.
I am well-known to you, @JDVance,” the senator from California wrote. “Given your administration’s use of thousands of troops as props in Los Angeles, I think we can begin to discuss political theater.”
