In his first remarks on the Senate floor since being handcuffed and removed from a press briefing held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles, California, last week, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) sharply criticized President Donald Trump, calling him a “vindictive president on a tour of retribution."
The lawmaker cautioned against the administration’s actions in “places where there are no cameras.”
Padilla's violent handcuffing last week drew fierce condemnation from Democrats and other critics of the administration, who decried the mistreatment of a sitting U.S. Senator. Reacting to the incident at the time, Noem said Padilla had failed to identify himself.
However, videos from the incident showed the senator clearly telling the officials manhandling him that he is a senator.
In his speech Tuesday, Padilla said, “How many Americans in the year 2025 see a vindictive president on a tour of retribution, unrestrained by the majority of this separate and coequal branch of government and wonder if it’s worth it to stand up or to speak out?"
He continued: "If a United States senator becomes too afraid to speak up, how can we expect any other American to do the same?”
“If what you saw happen can happen when the cameras are on, imagine not only what can happen but what is happening in so many places where there are no cameras,” Padilla said.
READ MORE: (Opinion) This most dangerous man in government right now isn't TrumpThe senator called on the public to challenge the Trump administration's crackdowns by exercising their right to peacefully protest.
"No one is coming to save us but us," Padilla said.
“If this administration is this afraid of just one senator with a question, colleagues, imagine what the voices of tens of millions of Americans peacefully protesting can do," the Los Angeles Democrat asserted.