Karen Bass makes obscene gaffe during live LA mayoral debate

Fire has been a trigger word for Karen Bass this past year.

And it reared its ugly head again at last night’s debate — with the Los Angeles mayor horrifically blundering her response.

Bass, who is fighting to keep her job, made a verbal slip-up, saying “fire f****” instead of “fire trucks” while responding to questions about the 2025 Palisades Fire.

Online, particularly among critics who argue she mishandled the response and rebuilding efforts, many are seizing on the moment.

“Yes. Mayor Of LA just said fire f**** instead of fire trucks on live TV. And yes, the fact that she left town before it burned down is reason enough for her to never ever serve this city again,” one person said.

Bass was in Ghana when the fire initially broke out, despite her prior pledge not to conduct foreign trips as mayor. She left LA when warnings for high winds were issued and returned to a burning city.

Others poked fun at her for the slip-up during what was a consequential debate for her. “My kid used to pronounce it like that — he was 2,” one user wrote.

Bass is butting heads with former ally-turned-political opponent, left-leaning DSA-affiliated Councilwoman Nithya Raman, and outsider reality TV star-turned-mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.

While Bass is leading in the polls, Pratt appears to be pouring money and resources into ads that are going viral, while Raman is campaigning hard — all while 40% of voters still remain undecided, a large share for a mayoral race.

More concerning for Bass is her unfavorable rating among voters. A majority — 56% of likely voters — view the mayor negatively, while just 13% say they have no opinion.

Bass previously sacked the former fire chief and hired a new one. She also faced criticism for allegedly having a role in a report that downplayed or softened the lack of a quick response and aimed to show the city and fire department in a better light. Bass has denied those claims.

One person called Bass’ slip-up a “Freudian slip!” Bass also appeared to perform poorly in the debate, at least according to an audience and reader poll by NBC.

The poll asked readers after the debate who they thought won, and an overwhelming 88% chose Pratt, with Bass and Raman trailing behind at 7% and 5%, respectively.

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