Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass promised not to travel internationally if elected mayor in 2022, but her trip to Ghana as fires destroyed her city was her fifth overseas trip since taking office.
Bass has faced significant criticism for her handling of the wildfires affecting Los Angeles, which began in the middle of her trip to President John Mahama’s inauguration in Ghana earlier this month. The trip, one of several she has made out of the country while serving as mayor, broke a promise she made not to do so if she was elected to the position, according to the New York Times.
“Not only would I of course live here, but I also would not travel internationally — the only places I would go would be D.C., Sacramento, San Francisco, and New York, in relation to L.A.,” Bass told the New York Times in 2021, when she was running for the office.
Bass has taken multiple foreign trips since taking office, including to Mexico City for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration and to Paris, France, for the Summer Olympics and Paralympics last year.
Los Angeles will host the 2028 Summer Olympics. As mayor of the next host city of the Summer Olympics, Bass’s travel to Paris has mostly been in that capacity. During her trips to Paris in August and September 2024, Bass received the Olympic and Paralympic flags as part of the handover at the respective closing ceremonies for both events.
In Bass’s most recent international trip, to Ghana, she was part of President Joe Biden’s delegation to represent the U.S. government at the event.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The wildfires, sparked by a strong wind storm last week, have killed at least 24 people and have led to billions of dollars of property damage as they ravage several parts of Los Angeles, including the affluent Pacific Palisades.
In response to criticism over her handling of the wildfires, Bass has said her top priority remains protecting lives.
