JD Vance slammed for giving 'racist' nickname to US Senator Alex Padilla in disturbing interview footage

JD Vance is being called out online for his actions that some people are insisting were not accidental.

Vance is no stranger to controversy and just last month found himself in hot water for his supposedly 'inappropriate' gesture towards Pope Leo.

Visiting the new pontiff last month, Vance shook Pope Leo's hand before touching his elbow. Many found the latter action to be 'disrespectful' towards the Head of the Catholic Church, as others branded it as 'almost condescending'.

Now, Vance is receiving backlash for something else after a press conference yesterday (June 20) where he addressed the ongoing unrest in Los Angeles amid the influx of arrests in the city by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A reporter asked the Vice President of the United States: "Democrat lawmakers keep getting handcuffed. The New York Times just did a story, they keep getting handcuffed, suggested that the Trump administration is cracking down on Democrats. Can you comment on that?"

Vance proceeded to reply: "Well, 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."

The person he was referring to is actually called Alex Padilla, who is a senior US senator in California.

Padilla, who was born and raised in LA, is of Mexican decent and some people have branded Vance as 'racist' for calling him José — a common name in Mexico.

One person to call him out was Governor of California, Gavin Newsom.

Alex Padilla is a US Senate in California (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sharing a snippet of the interview, Newsom penned on Twitter: "JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate. Calling him 'Jose Padilla' is not an accident."

Someone else said: "Holy sh*t. I walked away from twitter for five minutes and I come back to JD F**king Vance calling SENATOR Alex Padilla 'Jose'… Are you f**king kidding me?"

Another person penned: "MAJOR BREAKING: In a staggeringly racist and disgusting moment, JD Vance refers to Senator Alex Padilla as 'José Padilla.' JD Vance is a complete embarrassment."

JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate.

Calling him “Jose Padilla” is not an accident. pic.twitter.com/UOgdzdKcuy

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 20, 2025

Padilla has made his feelings towards the Trump administration and its ongoing arrests in LA very clear.

Addressing Trump deploying the National Guard in the city, Padilla said on Twitter yesterday: "Trump’s unnecessary and counterproductive deployment of the California National Guard over the will of the Governor and without coordination with local law enforcement only served to inflame tensions in Los Angeles.

"The court’s decision strongly reaffirms that the Guard can only be deployed in clearly defined circumstances—not as a political weapon against Californians at the sole discretion of Donald Trump."

Padilla has been approached for comment following Vance's recent remarks.

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