Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has mostly been making headlines courtesy of Spencer Pratt’s scathing political campaigns. But one connection few are making is to her (at least) eight trips to Cuba in the 1970s, and Raúl Castro’s indictment.
The US justice department announced on May 20th, 2026 that it seeks to prosecute the then Cuban defense minister. Purportedly, he issued the order to shoot down two Cessna planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue.
The group was composed of US volunteers. Ones who dedicated themselves to rescuing Cuban refugees looking to escape the country on rafts. On February 24th, 1996, four men perished as a result of Cuba’s strike. Carlos Alberto Costa, a 140+ flight rescue veteran, was one of them. Armando Alejandre Jr., a Vietnam War veteran, also staunchly believed in Brothers to Rescue’s mission. New Jersey born Mario Manuel de la Pena died that day, as did Pablo Morales. For Morales, his devotion to Brothers for Rescue was personal: he escaped to America via raft himself.
And he died helping others risking death for the chance at a better life for themselves and their families.
Mayor Karen Bass’ Involvement With Cuba
Bass has come under criticism for “her involvement with the Venceremos Brigade.” Long before she was voted in as mayor for the City of Angels, Bass made at least eight trips to Cuba with the group. Since then, there’s been a lot of talk about the possible political leanings she developed on Castro’s island. Officially, Bass partook in community “construction projects.”
Although, there’s been speculation as to whether or not this humanitarian, grass roots work was a smokescreen for other activities. It’s difficult to ignore the VB’s backing by the Students for a Democratic Society. That’s because the SDS was aligned, and reportedly influenced by Cuban-Communist ideologies. Later on, the SDS would be commandeered by extremists in the movement. Ones who favored violence, and it was soon hijacked by these proponents of violence. Ultimately, the SDS became Weather Underground, which was responsible for a slew of terrorist acts. This includes a number of bombings, and attacks against the US Capitol in 1971, NYPD Headquarters, and the Pentagon in ’72.
Is Karen Bass a Spy?
Many have hypothesized that Bass may’ve been radicalized during her time in Cuba. This narrative largely permeated headlines after she made remarks about Fidel Castro’s passing. “The passing of Comadante en Jefe is a great loss to the people of Cuba,” she was quoted as saying.
Later, Bass would walk back this statement during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press. “Lesson learned. Wouldn’t do that again. Talked immediately to my colleagues from Florida and realized that that was something that just shouldn’t have been said.”
FBI surveillance into the SDS, and any potential connections between the Venceremos Brigade came up empty. Some 23,000 pages of documentation culminated in zero convictions. And Bass, who was deeply involved with efforts on the island, wasn’t formally found of any wrongdoing.
Bass had choice of words for Castro’s death, along with deep associations with Cuban revolutionists as a teenager. It’s no wonder Spencer Pratt has suggested the Los Angeles mayor was allegedly schooling herself in violent, terrorist tactics during her time with the VB.
Karen Bass and Donald Trump
Without any official briefings, assertions that Bass was once learning how to make incendiary devices whilst screaming Viva La Revolucion! remain unsubstantiated. Pratt certainly believes Bass’ hatred of America is evident by the way she America’s second most-populated city.
But it is curious to see that on April 22nd, four weeks before Castro’s indictment, that Bass was in the oval office. She stood next to the president, smiling for the camera. And Trump said of the meeting: “It was my great honor to meet with the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass.”
The purpose of the meeting was to address efforts being undertaken by L.A. city officials to rebuild the city in wake of the horrific Pacific Palisades fires. But why would Bass, in the middle of an election year, and during a particularly ugly campaign, pose for a photo with Trump?
Especially the mayor of a city that has historically, almost painfully, leaned democratic for so long. There’s no shortage of articles that cover how many Los Angeles residents have embraced their hatred of the US president as their identities.
And folks on social media have even opined on their disappointment in seeing Karen Bass taking photo ops with the commander in chief. Like this X user who vowed to vote for Spencer Pratt upon seeing Bass standing side by side with him.
I am a lifelong Democrat. When I saw Karen Bass in the White House next to fascist Donald Trump, I said "aw hell no", snapped my fingers with hella sass, and immediately donated to Spencer Pratt
— Pericles (@PerryALPHA) May 18, 2026
Is Karen Bass Now Controlled Opposition?
There’s several ways to look at this. Could Bass have been spying on Cuba from a young age, and feeding intel to US government, military, and law enforcement officials as a youngster? Furthermore, could she have been a “mole” of sorts for the Democratic party?
Or, did Bass really drink the Castro kool aid, and her communist leanings made her a shoo in for the DNC. Fast forward a few decades, and she was presented with a dossier of information linking her to the SDS and Weather Underground, along with an offer to play ball.
Instead of disgracing her on a public stage, she gets to share pictures with Trump, which will hurt votes with her constituents. Thus, Spencer Pratt takes the L.A. Mayoral seat with no other clear opponent to muster a compelling campaign against him.
There’s another curious development worth considering in this as well. And it’s that folks have pointed out that on March 22nd, 2016, former US president Barack Obama spent some time with Castro at a baseball game in Havana.
Could Bass be playing a part in the Time’s Up reckoning? For many, it certainly seems like YMCA will be playing at GITMO sooner than later.
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