Padilla Roughed Up and Handcuffed! Jim Acosta Show special report with Maria Cardona

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Jim Acosta Show – "Padilla Roughed Up and Handcuffed! Special Report with Maria Cardona"

Release Date: June 12, 2025
Host: Jim Acosta
Guest: Maria Cardona, Democratic Strategist

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1. Breaking News: Senator Alex Padilla Assaulted at Press Conference

[00:00] Jim Acosta opens the special edition of his show from San Francisco, introducing Maria Cardona. He reports the shocking incident where Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles by officials accompanying Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Jim Acosta:
"Senator Alex Padilla of California was forcibly removed from a news conference in LA after he tried to question the Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noemi."
[00:00]

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2. Immediate Outrage and Emotional Response

[00:40] Maria Cardona expresses her vehement anger and frustration, emphasizing the severity of the incident and its broader implications on democracy.

Maria Cardona:
"This is fucking outrageous. My blood is boiling right now."
[00:40]

She highlights the collective indignation within the Latino community and beyond, underscoring the potential erosion of democratic principles.

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3. Assault on Democratic Processes

Both Jim Acosta and Maria Cardona condemn the treatment of Senator Padilla, arguing that such actions represent a descent into authoritarianism.

Jim Acosta:
"This is not how a United States senator is treated in this country."
[02:09]

Maria Cardona:
"This means we might not have democracy anymore... a literal descent into fascism."
[01:46]

They discuss how the incident undermines democratic institutions and the role of elected officials in holding the government accountable.

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4. Racism and Racial Profiling in Immigration Enforcement

The conversation shifts to the administration's immigration policies, critiquing their execution and inherent racial biases.

[03:12] Jim Acosta:
"They're just grabbing people with Hispanic last names and brown skin. That's just what they're doing."
[05:33]

Maria Cardona:
"This is a literal dissension before our eyes into fascism."
[01:46]

They articulate how the administration's approach targets minorities disproportionately, violating civil rights and promoting systemic racism.

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5. Political Fallout and Republican Response

[04:34] Maria Cardona references recent Quinnipiac poll results showing Donald Trump’s declining approval, particularly regarding immigration issues.

Maria Cardona:
"On the one issue that is supposed to be the star issue for him on immigration, he is now upside down."
[04:34]

Jim Acosta urges Republican leaders, especially Senate Majority Leader John Thune, to condemn the assault on Senator Padilla unequivocally.

Jim Acosta:
"This is a test for the Republicans in Congress... Senator Thune. The clock is ticking."
[12:18]

They stress the importance of bipartisan support for democratic norms and criticize potential dismissive attitudes from figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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6. Call to Action: Protests and Public Outcry

Highlighting the public's response, Jim Acosta and Maria Cardona discuss the ongoing and upcoming protests against the administration's actions.

Jim Acosta:
"There are these no king protests taking place across the country this weekend."
[05:38]

Maria Cardona:
"People are going to want to get out there and make their voices heard."
[06:21]

They emphasize the constitutional right to protest and warn of potential government attempts to suppress these expressions of dissent.

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7. Administration's Failures and Loss of Control

The hosts critique the administration's inability to achieve legislative victories, relying instead on aggressive executive actions that backfire politically.

[08:01] Maria Cardona:
"He's weak on the economy. He has betrayed the American people on what he promised."
[08:01]

Jim Acosta:
"Donald Trump, your second term in office is a complete and total disaster."
[09:32]

They argue that these failures have led to desperate measures, such as the assault on Senator Padilla, which further alienates the public and erodes trust in governmental institutions.

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8. Racial Dynamics and Symbolism

A critical discussion unfolds about the racial undertones of the incident, suggesting that Senator Padilla’s ethnicity played a significant role in how he was treated.

Jim Acosta:
"It is because he has brown skin and has a Hispanic last name. That is why he was roughed up."
[14:09]

Maria Cardona:
"This would not have happened if Alex, Senator Alex was Senator Alex Jones or if his skin was white."
[15:14]

The hosts draw parallels to international human rights abuses, likening the treatment of Padilla to tactics used against political figures like Alexei Navalny in Russia.

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9. Leadership and Accountability

They call upon Republican leaders to take a moral stand against the administration’s actions, emphasizing the need for accountability within Congress.

Maria Cardona:
"They need to understand that they work for the American people and that's who they need to answer to."
[13:09]

Jim Acosta:
"Enough with the thugocracy. We don't want to be a Putin style thugocracy."
[14:09]

The discussion underscores the responsibility of elected officials to uphold democratic values and protect the rights of all citizens, irrespective of race or background.

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10. Conclusion: Upholding Democratic Integrity

In closing, Jim Acosta and Maria Cardona reiterate the gravity of the incident and its implications for American democracy. They call for immediate action, including apologies from the administration and resignations where necessary.

Jim Acosta:
"A bright red line, ladies and gentlemen, has been crossed in this country. And this cannot be tolerated."
[19:00]

Maria Cardona:
"You just called out exactly what this is about... they need to apologize to him and to the American people."
[16:00]

The episode concludes with a strong affirmation of the hosts' commitment to truth and democratic principles, urging listeners to stay informed and engaged.

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Key Takeaways

• Assault on Senator Padilla: Represents a direct attack on democratic processes and highlights potential authoritarian tendencies within the current administration.

• Racial Profiling in Immigration: The administration’s immigration policies disproportionately target minorities, exacerbating racial tensions.

• Political Accountability: Republican leaders are urged to condemn the assault unequivocally and uphold democratic values.

• Public Response: Ongoing and planned protests signify widespread public outrage and demand for governmental accountability.

• Call for Leadership: Emphasis on the need for bipartisan solidarity to defend democracy and protect civil rights.

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Notable Quotes

• Maria Cardona:
  "This is a literal descent into fascism."
  [01:46]

• Jim Acosta:
  "Donald Trump, your second term in office is a complete and total disaster."
  [09:32]

• Maria Cardona:
  "They need to apologize to him and to the American people."
  [16:00]

• Jim Acosta:
  "We don't want to be a Putin style thugocracy."
  [14:09]

---

This episode of The Jim Acosta Show serves as a critical examination of recent governmental overreach, racial injustices, and the looming threat to American democratic institutions. Through the passionate dialogue between Jim Acosta and Maria Cardona, the podcast underscores the urgent need for accountability, public activism, and the preservation of constitutional rights.

Transcript

[Jim Acosta]

Everybody, welcome to a special edition of the Jim Acosta Show. I'm coming to you live from San Francisco. As you can see with me right now is my friend, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Maria, we had to jump on substack as fast as possible here because this is unreal, what just took place in Los Angeles. Senator Alex Padilla of California was forcibly removed from a news conference in LA after he tried to question the Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noemi. And, you know, he was saying, I'm Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary. And then several men who were with her physically removed him from the news conference, pushed and shoved him through a door. Your thoughts? It's just outrageous.

[Maria Cardona]

You know, Jim, I don't normally cuss in public, but this is fucking outrageous. I am sorry. My blood is boiling right now. And I was so happy to see your note about how you wanted to go live, because it literally happened seconds ago. And you know how I'm on a ton of group chats with leadership and activists and strategists and local electeds that are in the Latino community nationally? Everyone is up in arms. And it's not just Latinos. It's everyone who understands what this means in terms of our democracy. It means we might not have one anymore, Jim. This is a literal dissension before our eyes into fascism. A senator of the United States of America who was asking the Secretary of Homeland Security a question, right? He was not being aggressive. He was not somewhere where he was not supposed to be. It was a press conference. It was public. That's where you go to ask questions.

[Jim Acosta]

That. That's right.

[Maria Cardona]

The law enforcement officers grabbed him. Didn't just take him outside of that room forcibly, Jim. There is now video of him being forced to the ground.

[Jim Acosta]

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

[Maria Cardona]

People telling him, stay on the ground, stay on the ground. A United States senator, Jim.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. This is not how a United States senator is treated in this country. And the Trump administration and Secretary Kristi Noem, they should be ashamed of themselves right now. Now, anybody who works in that administration, they should be ashamed of what just took place moments ago in LA when the senator, he simply tried, as you said, he simply tried to ask some questions that should not result in you getting beaten up by the authorities. A bunch of thugs. They look like a bunch of fucking thugs.

[Maria Cardona]

That's exactly right, Jim. And a couple of things come from that. Why do you think that Senator Padilla felt like he had to go to a press conference to get an answer from the Secretary of Homeland? Security. That means that this administration has completely cut out and cut off Democrats who simply want to know why they are descending into these kinds of horrific, cruel, authoritarian practices across the country where they're going into communities and literally snatching people off the street. Streets.

[Jim Acosta]

That's right. He has every right to ask these questions. Everybody has been trying to ask these questions. You're seeing the video on evening newscasts every night, no matter where you live in this country. This was a lie that they sold to the American people during the campaign, that they were going to go after criminals and gang members. Sure, they may have picked up a few of those here and there, there's no question about it. But by and large they're trying to meet these Stephen Miller set quotas, but by going after women and children and abuelas. And that's the only way to do it. And of course members of Congress are going to ask questions. And Senator Padilla was doing his job. You know, people might say, oh well, he shouldn't interrupt a press conference. Who cares? I've interrupted press conferences. You don't beat people up because they try to interrupt press conferences. If you're the secretary for Kristi Noem, you know, you're not at seacot, you know, this is America. This is not an El Salvadoran Gulag. People's rights need to be respected.

[Maria Cardona]

That's exactly right. And I think a couple of things to underscore here, Jim. I think that this administration and Republican members of Congress are starting to become a little desperate. They are seeing the poll numbers, Jim. There were some eye popping poll numbers that came out today about Trump's approval rating. He's at 38% approval.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, the Quinnipiac poll. Yeah.

[Maria Cardona]

And critically, on the one issue that is supposed to be the star issue for him on immigration, he is now upside down. Why? Because the American people are starting to realize, like you said, what a fucking lie he sold them when he said he was only going to go after criminals. That is absolutely not true. This morning my daughter saw a message from her friend who said, here in the D.C. area, Jim, her father, not a criminal. Her father was working, was having breakfast in his car and immigration agents came in, took him out of his car, unleashed him, looked at his, at his driver's license, saw where he lived, went to her house and took the rest of her family.

[Jim Acosta]

They're just grabbing, they're grabbing people with Hispanic last names and brown skin. That's just what they're doing.

[Maria Cardona]

Exactly.

[Jim Acosta]

They're just, they're targeting people in a racial profiling type of way. And it's outrageous. It's outrageous. And the other thing too, Maria, is people are not going to take this lying down. There are these no king protests taking place across the country this weekend. We're seeing people obviously take to the streets in LA and other cities across the country. Right. Right now as we speak. And Trump must know, and Christy Ngo must know this is going to continue to promote and provoke these kinds of protests. And people are going to want to get out there and make their voices heard. But he needs to understand, the President needs to understand and the Secretary needs to understand it is our God given right as Americans to protest. We have freedom of speech in this country.

[Maria Cardona]

That is, that is right. And, and they hate that. They hate that when Americans come out to protest the kinds of thuggish, authoritarian, fascist, dictator like tactics that this administration has gone into. And this is something that I hope the American people go out there and do protests, though I will say, please be careful because Donald Trump has already threatened protesters.

[Jim Acosta]

That's right.

[Maria Cardona]

Not violence. Like he didn't say, I'm going to go after violent demonstrators. He said if anyone is going to protest this weekend, you are going to met. You're going to be met with force.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. What does he mean by that? Give me a break. He thinks he's a king. He thinks he's a dictator. He's lost all control. The people around him, people like Stephen Miller, they have lost all control. And when you have the Secretary of Homeland Security and her thugs roughing up a United States Senator, that is exhibit A right there, that they have lost all control. And I think it goes back to what you were saying earlier, Maria, and I've been saying this on my show. Where are the wins? Donald Trump, you have no wins. He has no legislative wins. He only has these crazy ass executive orders that he announces every day that are spoon fed to him by his staff and he announces them in the Oval Office, doesn't even understand what they mean or what they're saying. And those are the only things he can do, things that he can do by fiat. He can't get legislation passed. And so he has to resort to these thuggish immigration tactics because he thinks it works with the base and it's not working.

[Maria Cardona]

Jim, you hit upon something that I think is critical and goes to the mindset of where this administration is right now and, and why they're doing what they're doing in California, why they essentially are using the US Military to attack their own estate in the United States. Of America. And it's because there have been so many failures recently that this administration has suffered. And you hit upon several of them. He's weak on the economy. He has betrayed the American people on what he promised. He promised to bring down costs and to fight inflation. He has done the opposite. His own Wall Street Journal has called him a chicken. The taco president. Right.

[Jim Acosta]

The chicken taco. Now.

[Maria Cardona]

The tariff issue is something that his own conservative economists have called stupid and dumb. Again, a huge failure. He has failed on the legal front. Court after court after court has said his executive orders are illegal and cannot be saw through. He can't stand that. And recently, he also saw a huge failure when he swore to the American people that he did not have the power to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia. And what did they just do? They brought back Kilmar Abrego Garcia and something to keep an eye on.

[Jim Acosta]

Jim, you're absolutely right.

[Maria Cardona]

The people that were working, the civil servants in the Department of Justice that were working on Guilmar Abrego Garcia's case, they resigned. Civil servants, they resigned. People like that don't resign unless they're forced to do something that is completely inappropriate. So these charges are not going to.

[Jim Acosta]

Hold up because they can't just go and lie in court. They can go on Fox News and they can lie about Kilmar on Fox News. But if you, it's like the 2020 election and the way they try to overturn the election, you go into court like Rudy Giuliani and try to give the judge a bunch of bullshit. The judge is going to laugh in your face and say, you're ridiculous. Get the hell out of my courtroom. And this is basically what Trump is running up against, too, because this second term, let's just face it, is a total disaster. Donald Trump, your second term in office is a complete and total disaster. You have no wins. And the only way you think you can get wins is by beating up and roughing up little abuelas or all over the United States of America. And the United States of America is not going to tolerate this. People do not want a king in this country. They do not want a dictator in this country. We have the First Amendment in this country. And a United States senator, for Christ's sake, should never, ever, ever be roughed up in this fashion. And for folks who are just tuning in right now, I'm talking to Democratic strategist Maria Cardona because we're following the breaking news. Senator Alex Padilla of California being roughed up by DHS thugs in Los Angeles. That's what we're going to call them, the gentlemen who were roughing up this United States. Senator, you need to understand, you are a thug. You are a government thug right out of Putin's Russia. It's the same shit we saw them do to Alexei Navalny and Russia. And Trump needs to know, we are not going to do that in this country. We are not going down the road of Vladimir Putin. We're just not going to do it.

[Maria Cardona]

That's exactly right, Jim. And I think that that is a critical message to continue to communicate. This is not the America that my parents came to when I was 2 years old. This is not an America that so many of us and our parents and grandparents and great grandparents came to that would give us a chance at the American dream. No matter who you were and no matter the color of your skin or your economic status, Donald Trump is destroying that America before our eyes. But you know what? To your point, we are not powerless. We have a voice. We have the ability to stand up and to say, this is not going to be accepted. This is inappropriate. We're not going to take this. And that is something that they can't stand either. And they are trying to instill fear and terror into people so that they are quiet and we cannot be quiet.

[Jim Acosta]

I agree with you and Maria, one other thing we should talk about, too. This is a big test for John Thune. He is the Senate Majority leader. He is the Senate Majority Leader. And he needs to very forcefully, in my opinion, very forcefully, as well as the rest of the Republican senators, very forcefully condemn Secretary Kristi Noem and her thugs for roughing up a United States Senator. There is no question about it. This is a test for the Republicans in Congress. We know the clowns over in the House, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, they're probably. She's probably going to excuse this and say he had it coming and everything else, but the folks over on the Senate side, they need to absolutely condemn this 100%. And this is right now. The clock is ticking, Senator Thune. The clock is ticking. This is a test for all of you.

[Maria Cardona]

That is exactly right. This is a flashpoint, I think, for our country, Jim. And I knew it the minute that this happened. And when you reached out to me to say, maria, can we please go live about this? Yeah, this, it is feeling like a flashpoint right now because everyone is understanding just how serious this is and what a crossroads we are at. And our leaders in Congress, I think, understand that. And I frankly think that Republicans are shitting their pants right now. I bet they know. They know what this is going to mean for them and their political futures if they don't stand up for Americans. And then they're going to have to balance that out with, oh, what does this mean if I go up against our dear leader, Donald Trump, is he going to, you know, call me out? Is he going to run somebody against me, a MAGA candidate? Is he, are they going to primary me? Well, no. They need to understand that they work for the American people and that's who they need to answer to.

[Jim Acosta]

Enough. Enough is enough. Enough with the thugocracy. We don't want to be a thugocracy in this country. We don't want to be a Putin style thugocracy. And I'm sorry, a United States Senator should have the right to go in there and make his voice hurt. And if, if Kristi Noem doesn't want to answer his question, she could just stand there at the podium until after he's finished saying what he's saying. No big deal. What's the big deal? But to have her thugs rough up United States Senator in this fashion. And I think I know why this is happening, Maria Cardona and I don't jump to all this from very often. It is because he has brown skin and has a Hispanic last name. That is why he was roughed up. And Maria, you and I need to make it very loud and clear in this country. We are not third class citizens in this country because of our last names and the color of our skin. And it's just not going to go down like that. Trump needs to know this. Stephen Miller needs to know this. You know, when he hangs upside down in his Batcave or whatever he does at night, you know, he, you know, it's time for the human beings to step forward in this administration and get a hold of this out of control. President Jim.

[Maria Cardona]

God bless you, Jim, because you just called out exactly what this is about. This would not have happened if Alex, Senator Alex was Senator Alex Jones or if his skin was white. So you absolutely hit the nail on the head. They cannot stand that somebody of Latino descent has become and has the power of a United States Senator. And they are trying to demonstrate that in their eyes, he is still nothing. Well, he is not nothing. He is a fucking United States Senator and he needs to be treated as such. And they need to apologize to him and they need to apologize to the American people.

[Jim Acosta]

That's right. He has earned that position. He is A United States senator. And he represents the people of the great state of California, which by the way, is, you know, a pretty goddamn important state in this country. And without which, you know, the United States would not be the wealthy country that it is. You know, it's. California is an enormously important state. And I think part of the reason, and just to continue the thread that you and I were just pulling on that Senator Padilla probably would not have been treated in this fashion had his skin been white and his last name and Tuberville or something like that. Do you think Kristi Noem's thugs would rough up Tommy Tuberville and throw him to the ground and detain him and all of that? Hell no. Hell frigging no. That would never happen. And so Yanith. And so, you know, they. I think what's happened here is that Trump and his thugs have gotten a little too far out on a limb thinking they can rough up Hispanic people in this country, rough up and racially profile people with brown skin and Hispanic last names and they. And they've now crossed a bright red fucking line.

[Maria Cardona]

Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

You do not rough up United States senators. And my God, I hope, I hope and pray I'm about to get on a flight back to D.C. i hope and pray that these senators on the Republican side strongly condemn what just took place.

[Maria Cardona]

They have a great opportunity to show leadership here where there hasn't been one. There hasn't been leadership on that side of the aisle at all. And so I hope they take this opportunity to really show the American people who they stand with. Right?

[Jim Acosta]

Yes.

[Maria Cardona]

Who do they stand with? The Constitution? Do they stand with the country? Do they stand with their own voters? Or do they stand with a would be dictator, fascist king, wannabe king?

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And Maria, I always appreciate talking to you. Cause you keep it real and we can keep it as real as we wanna keep it right here on substack and on places like YouTube and on independent media. So thank you so much for making time, Maria. I think we both needed to get that off our chest.

[Maria Cardona]

We did. Thank you, my friend, for reaching out because this is so critical right now. We live in important times and you're an important voice in this. So gracias.

[Jim Acosta]

You got it. It's called real news and we're going to keep doing it. Thanks Maria. Good to see you, my dear.

[Maria Cardona]

Thanks, Jim. Bye bye.

[Jim Acosta]

Thank you. I appreciate it. That's the wonderful Maria Cardona. Anyway, I just wanted forgive me for coming on at a different time in a different place. I'm In San Francisco. Just had some great meetings out here doing some, do a little business. I'm heading back to Washington to cover the no Kings protest this weekend. But I had to jump on and, and say what an outrage this is in the United States of America to have a Latino United States senator roughed up by a bunch of Department of Homeland Security thugs. The job of the Department of Homeland Security is to protect the homeland, not rough up and brutalize the people inside the homeland. That's not homeland security. That's homeland fascism. That's homeland authoritarianism. And so I appreciate my friend Ria Cardona coming on and speaking with me about this. I'll try to bring you updates as I head back to Washington throughout the day, but my goodness, if you've not seen the video, you need to go check this out. California Democratic Senator Alex Padilla tried to go into a news conference that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noemi was holding in Los Angeles. He tried to ask her some questions. What's the big deal? No problem with that. My goodness, look what's happening right now in this country. And, and Kristi Noem's thugs acting like they're down at seacot and some El Salvador and gulag, decided to rough up a United States senator. A bright red line, ladies and gentlemen, has been crossed in this country. A bright red line. And this cannot be tolerated. And to me, I think you're going to see people taking to the streets even more in the coming days in defense of a United States senator. He is just as much United States Senator as anybody else in the United States Senate. And there needs to be an apology from the President of the United States, which obviously is not going to come. There needs to be an apology from the Secretary of Homeland Security. Pretty sure that's not going to come, but let's wait and see. And if it doesn't come, then the Secretary of Homeland Security needs to resign. She should not be in that position. She is responsible for the thugs that are with her when she does these kinds of news conferences. And under no circumstances should a senator ever, ever be treated in that fashion. And so stay tuned. I'll have more updates throughout the day and into the weekend, but for now, still reporting not in Washington. Today, I'm reporting from the great state of California, which last time I checked, is part of the United States of America, has rights, has privileges under the Constitution, has the right to free speech, including for its United States senators. Want to thank everybody for tuning in for this special edition. I'll see you a little bit later on. Thanks for watching. Take care.

[Maria Cardona]

Of.