Rep. Karen Bass talks family tragedy that connects her to Biden
The congresswoman and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee says that the most difficult thing about losing a child in public office is that you 'don’t have an opportunity to grieve privately'
US Representative Karen Bass of California is emerging as a front-runner for the coveted slot of the vice-presidential pick to run alongside Joe Biden. The 66-year-old chair of the Congressional Black Caucus has been fighting for social justice since she was just 14.
But more than just her passion for people and her work in politics binds Bass to Joe Biden. She shared with talk show host, Carlos Watson, that the two share another commonality: the loss of a child.
READ MORE: Karen Bass responds to criticism of Fidel Castro reference amid VP vetting
On the debut of The Carlos Watson Show, which was created by the OZY Media co-founder, Bass talked about the horrific car crash that killed her daughter and son-in-law.
Her daughter, Emilia Bass-Lechuga, and son-in-law, Michael Wright, were tragically killed in a car accident in 2006.
“The most difficult part of it was, and it was the same with (Biden), is when those accidents happened, both of us were in public life,” Bass said, “So you don’t have an opportunity to grieve privately.”
In 1972, Joe Biden lost his first wife and daughter in a car crash. He has frequently said the incident changed him forever. In 2015, his son Beau died from cancer.
Bass told Watson that the trauma of losing her beloved family members made her feel like, “nothing else can happen to me.”
She also compared that pain to the traumatization that many Americans are experiencing under the Donald Trump administration. “At this moment in our country,” Bass said, “we have been traumatized for three-and-a-half years, multiple times a day.”
Whenever he’s down, he finds someone of color to kick,” Bass said of Trump.
She also said on the talk show, that the idea that people would discuss her in the context of potentially being the next VP is “very humbling.”
Bass was the first guest on The Carlos Watson Show which will run on OZY and YouTube.
READ MORE: Rep. Karen Bass emerges as possible running mate for Joe Biden
Watson, an award-winning journalist, and entrepreneur launched OZY in 2013. He launched the show this month as a platform for unique 1-on-1 interviews leading up the 2020 election.
Joe Biden is expected to announce his highly-anticipated VP pick in just days.
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