Latino senator claps back at JD Vance for wrongly calling him 'José'
The vice president incorrectly referred to Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, as "José Padilla" during a press conference in Los Angeles.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Alex Padilla had strong words for JD Vance after the vice president erroneously referred to the Democrat as "José."
"He knows my name," Padilla said on MSNBC's "The Weekend" on June 21. The comments, Padilla went on, were "just an indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is."
Padilla was the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of California.
Vance, who served with Padilla in the Senate, made the remark at a press conference the previous day during a trip to Los Angeles meant to defend the Trump administration's military response to protests over changes to immigration policies.
"I was hoping José Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately, I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't the theater, and that's all it is," Vance said.
On June 12, Padilla was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference being held by Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary. Democrats condemned the incident and demanded an investigation. The Trump administration defended the actions of Noem's security detail that day and accused Padilla of engaging in political theater.