Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing heightened scrutiny from President Donald Trump for her handling of the anti-ICE riots gripping the city, which follows a history of political scandals and criticisms across her decades as an elected official, Fox News Digital has learned. The protests, which began as demonstrations against immigration raids, escalated into violence and chaos, prompting sharp criticism from the Trump administration. Trump administration officials argue that Democratic rhetoric against the immigration raids, while simultaneously offering messages of support to illegal immigrants, emboldened protesters and led to the riots.
Vice President JD Vance tweeted that Newsom and his stooge, Karen Bass, fomented and encouraged the riots, asserting that their rhetoric contributed to the violence. This criticism comes against the backdrop of Bass’s extensive history of controversies, including her praise for communist leaders and her deputy mayor’s bomb threat hoax. The bomb threat, which was revealed to be a hoax, involved her former deputy mayor sending an urgent message about a bomb threat to city officials, which later turned out to be fabricated.
Bass also faced backlash for her travel to Africa during the wildfires in Southern California. Reports emerged showing her at a cocktail party in Ghana just moments before evacuation orders were issued. This sparked public outrage, with questions raised about her absence during the crisis. In response, Bass’s spokesperson explained that she was on calls from Los Angeles during most of her time in Ghana. Despite her apology for not being present, the criticism continued.
Additionally, Bass fired the city’s fire chief, Kristin Crowley, who had previously highlighted staffing issues and under-resourcing in the department. Crowley had warned that budget cuts were affecting their ability to respond to wildfires, a concern that became reality when thousands of firefighters were sent home on her watch. Bass defended her decision, blaming Crowley’s handling of the fires, but the move has drawn further criticism and scrutiny.