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.
Read more: Vance defends using military to quell protests, refers to Sen. Alex Padilla as ‘José’
“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.
Read more: Sen. Alex Padilla handcuffed and forcibly removed from Kristi Noem’s LA press conference
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.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latino senator claps back at JD Vance for misnaming him ‘José’
