Free Republic

He has a new, carefully groomed beard. He bantered with bros for hours on an irreverent comedy podcast. And on Tuesday, he criticized the Trump administration through an appeal to patriotism in a state early on the presidential nominating calendar. Pete Buttigieg is inching back into the Democrats’ spotlight this spring with a series of appearances that have prompted speculation about how one of the party’s most evidently ambitious politicians might spend the lead-up to 2028. With Democrats still searching for a direction and a standard-bearer after November’s loss to President Trump, supporters of Mr. Buttigieg, a smooth-talking former mayor...

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Some believe the Democratic Party’s next savior is living here, huddled with family, in the relative obscurity of a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan. Pete Buttigieg has yet to decide if that’s a responsibility he wants. For now, Buttigieg, the 43-year-old former U.S. transportation secretary, is discussing his future with party officials, labor leaders and top strategists. He must decide soon whether he wants to return to the national spotlight as a candidate in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race or step aside to instead seek a much bigger role as his party’s next...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has faced a flurry of criticism from Republicans for taking paid parental leave with his husband and two newborns. But Buttigieg wants to refocus the conversation on another topic entirely: climate change. “Inevitably, every transportation decision is a climate decision, whether we acknowledge it or not,” Buttigieg said in an interview with The Climate 202. “So I think that's absolutely part of our mandate and part of our set of responsibilities as a department.” **SNIP** Cars and trucks account for the bulk of the sector's pollution, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. And in...

Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday he’s too busy to visit the U.S.-Mexico border and that it’s not his role to do so, responding to questions about Republican criticism that he’s been silent on the throngs of people entering the country from COVID-19-infected regions. Fox News’ Neil Cavuto asked Fauci a series of questions about the torrent of criticism from prominent Republicans, who have accused the infectious disease expert of staying mum on COVID-19-positive illegal immigrants and who have complained Fauci is not using his influence to persuade the Biden administration to do more to stem the border...

President Trump must think the American people are suckers if he expects them to believe he didn’t insult fallen soldiers during his 2018 trip to France, former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg told “The Story” Friday. “I mean, look, the president today lied on Twitter about never calling John McCain a loser,” Buttigieg, a veteran of the U.S. Navy Reserve who served in Afghanistan, told host Jon Scott. “Now, he’s asking us to believe that, OK, he’s lying about that today, because we can check and see the footage, but he’s not lying about the other stuff? He must think...

The University of Notre Dame has hired former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as a researcher and teacher for the 2020-2021 academic year, the university announced Thursday. As a faculty fellow in the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, Buttigieg will work on two research projects: one that explores how to restore trust in political institutions and another that considers the forces shaping the 2020s. He joins a group of more than 30 faculty and student fellows who will conduct research on the nature of trust, the institute’s 2020-2021 research theme. Buttigieg will take part in weekly seminars and other...

Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of the 2020 presidential primary race, a senior campaign aide told CNBC. He is flying to South Bend, Indiana to make the announcement, where he served as mayor for two terms. The Indiana Democrat waged an unlikely campaign that saw a little-known mayor overpower governors and U.S. senators in the race for the party nomination. Along the way, Buttigieg assembled a substantial war chest and a vast national operation. A two-term mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg was the first openly gay major presidential contender. He scored a narrow delegate edge over Sen. Bernie Sanders...

Lone Tree boy, 9, asks Pete Buttigieg how he can tell the world he is gay too by: Joe St. George DENVER (KDVR) — Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg rallied more than 4,000 supporters at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Aurora Saturday night. While Buttigieg landed familiar attacks on Bernie Sanders and Michael Bloomberg, it was a question asked by a 9-year-old Lone Tree boy that stole the show. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold read the question of 9 year old Zachary Ro: “Would you help me tell the world I am gay too?” “It won’t always be easy but...

“Do you think it is possible to be a Christian and support President Trump?” Burnett asked. “Well, I’m not going to tell other Christians how to be Christians,” Buttigieg replied. “But I will say, I cannot find any compatibility between the way this president conducts himself and anything I find in Scripture. Now I guess that’s my interpretation, but I think that’s a lot of people’s interpretation, and that interpretation deserves a voice.” Everyone Sins — Except Buttigieg ApparentlyButtigieg believes everyone else’s sin is up for discussion — except his own. He cites Trump’s behavior, but what of Pete’s? Scripture...

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg slammed President Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh at a CNN town hall Tuesday night. Last week, Limbaugh came under fire for making homophobic comments about Buttigieg and his marriage, something he has said he won’t apologize for, according to Limbaugh, because Trump told him not to. But between Limbaugh’s comments and Trump telling the conservative radio host not to apologize, Trump said he’d vote for a gay presidential candidate, and Buttigieg isn’t buying the contradictory stories. Asked if he’d take Trump at his word about voting for a gay candidate, Buttigieg responded, “Well, not if...

“LGBTQ+ people aren’t just bystanders in American history—they are drivers of it,” says this page on Buttigieg’s site. “Decades ago, there was no place where someone could worship as an openly LGBTQ+ person. Today, majorities of every major religious group support LGBTQ+-inclusive nondiscrimination laws,” says the webpage.

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg was severely mocked for tweeting a quote pic with a saying that critics claim “literally doesn’t mean anything.” During a CNN town hall on Thursday night, Buttigieg was asked if he could enact one specific policy as president, what it would be. “Just one? Wow,” Buttigieg reacted. “Let me say this, it’s not a sizzling, glamorous issue, but the shape of our democracy is the issue that affects every other issue. So in order for us to get better outcomes on funding public education, on dealing with gun violence… there are so many issues...

Hoping to fan racial flames in his direction before the South Carolina primary, Pete Buttigieg tweeted out his support for Trayvon Martin on the occasion of what would have been Martin's 25th birthday, February 5. "Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today," Mayor Pete tweeted. "How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?" Buttigieg threw in a Black Lives Matter hashtag just to make sure black voters knew he was down for the struggle. This tweet would have been unfortunate six months ago. Today, it is unforgivable. In December, attorney Larry...

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg declared himself the winner in Iowa after technical glitches and snafus prevented the state party from announcing any caucus results Monday night. Buttigieg, who was hoping to get a boost out of the nation's first caucus state to drive past more seasoned rivals, went beyond any of the other Democratic presidential contenders his his caucus-night speech. 'We don't know all of the results. But we do know that by the time it's all said and done, Iowa: you have shocked the nation. Because by all indications we are going on to New Hampshire victorious,' Buttigieg...

Democrat presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg refused to welcome pro-life Democrats into his party Sunday during a Fox News town hall meeting. Though most Americans do not share his belief that abortions should be legal for any reason up to birth, the South Bend, Indiana mayor would not compromise – even as he tries to court swing voters, according to CNN. Fox News Wilmington reports pro-life Democrat Kristen Day asked Buttigieg if he would welcome her and millions of other pro-life Democrats by adding “big tent” language to the party platform. “So, do you want the support of pro-life Democrats, pro-life...

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said Saturday the Oval Office requires a wartime veteran, a niche he occupies exclusively among top-tier candidates in his party’s race for the 2020 nomination. During an interview on Iowa PBS in suburban Des Moines, Buttigieg was asked if there’s value in a president who had faced hostile fire. Buttigieg, a Naval intelligence officer in Afghanistan in 2014, noted he had been present for rocket attacks while stationed at Bagram Airfield, and later faced potential danger as an armed driver in Kabul. Another presidential candidate, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, served...

The South Bend Mayor stopped by the KCCI studios Saturday afternoon to spend time with our panel of undecided Caucus-goers. Buttigieg answered their questions, including this one from Ivette Muhammad, a mother of eight. “I've heard you are wanting to start a family. Is that something you hope to do soon, perhaps in the White House?” Muhammad asked. “It is. This year the campaign is not conducive to it, but we are looking forward to it. Chasten will make an amazing dad. I'll try to hold my own and it is something we're looking forward to. I can't imagine raising...

South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg faced a flurry of criticism on Christmas day after he suggested that Jesus Christ entered into the world as a refugee. “Today I join millions around the world in celebrating the arrival of divinity on earth, who came into this world not in riches but in poverty, not as a citizen but as a refugee,” he tweeted. His tweet came just days after the 2020 presidential candidate released his plan calling for a significant increase in refugee admissions and setting an admissions minimum of 95,000. Buttigieg’s policy paper specifically recalls Biblical language to support...

On Monday, during an interview with the Des Moines Register, 2020 presidential hopeful mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg said drug possession should not result in jail time. Buttigieg said, “Incarceration should not even be a response to drug possession. What I have seen is while there continues to be all kinds of harms associated with drug possession and use, it is also the case that we have created in an effort to deal with a public health problem, we have created an even bigger problem — a justice problem, and it’s own form of a health problem when...

Actor-director Kevin Costner will endorse South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg as the Democratic nominee for president on Sunday, adding to the candidate’s growing list of Hollywood backers. The Field of Dreams star is scheduled to appear with Buttigieg in Indianola, Iowa, Sunday afternoon for a town hall gathering of supporters, according to a tweet from Buttigieg’s official campaign. The Des Moines Register reported that Costner will introduce and endorse Buttigieg before the event at Indianola High School at 12:30