Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing major backlash for being in Ghana while her city battled devastating wildfires. Now, a 2021 tweet in which she criticized Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for going to Cancun, Mexico, with his family as his state dealt with a severe winter storm.
Social media users were quick to accuse the mayor of being hypocritical. While Bass left for Ghana before the wildfires started, she still faced condemnations over the trip and fierce criticism of her leadership.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, KILLING 5 AND THREATENING THOUSANDS OF HOMES
Several social media users said the mayor’s tweet did not “age well,” and urged her to delete the nearly 4-year-old post.
President-elect Trump took to Truth Social to condemn the mayor, blaming the wildfires’ spread on “gross incompetence” by Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Multiple wildfires are raging across California, claiming five lives, and putting thousands under evacuation orders. As of Thursday morning, more than 2,000 homes, businesses and other structures were either damaged or destroyed by the devastating fires.
Upon her return from Ghana, Bass was confronted by a reporter about her trip, but she remained silent. Bass also refused to say whether she had any “regret” about slashing the city’s Fire Department’s budget last year. However, during a news conference on Wednesday, Bass said she took the “fastest route back, which included being on a military plane.” She also said that she was “able to be on the phone the entire time of the flight.”
Cruz flew to Mexico as Texans faced a deadly winter storm that left millions without power.
“With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends,” Cruz said at the time. “Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon. My staff and I are in constant communication with state and local leaders to get to the bottom of what happened in Texas. We want our power back, our water on, and our homes warm. My team and I will continue using all our resources to keep Texans informed and safe.”
Cruz later admitted that the trip was a “mistake.”
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Tyler Olson and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
