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Tier 1 carried by a primary record
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Jun 21, 2025 JD Vance misidentified Senator Alex Padilla as a convicted terrorist during a press conference Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
A vice-presidential misidentification linking a Democratic senator to terrorism, presented as humor, spread false association and degraded political discourse.
Independently corroborated by6 independent news desks
nytimes · Associated Press · NBC News · BBC · CalMatters · PBS
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- JD Vance misidentifies Senator Alex Padilla in public remarks — During his Los Angeles press conference, Vice-president Vance made a joke about "Jose Padilla" in response to a question about Democrats detained by federal officers. He was referring to California Senator Alex Padilla, who had been forcibly detained by the FBI the previous week. Vance conflated Padilla with Jose Padilla, an American citizen accused of planning a radioactive dirty bomb for al-Qaida in 2002. Padilla's spokesperson called the remark inappropriate and noted Vance and Padilla were former Senate colleagues.
- Vice President Vance Misidentifies Senator Padilla as Convicted Terrorist — At a news conference in Los Angeles, Vice President J.D. Vance was asked if Trump's administration is "cracking down on Democrats." Vance, who served with Alex Padilla in the Senate, called his former colleague by the wrong name, referring to him as "José Padilla," the name of a man convicted in 2007 of conspiring to commit murder and fund terrorism. Vance's press secretary stated the vice president "must have mixed up two people who have broken the law."
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 23 – 2025-06-21–2025-06-27
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