If Pete Buttigieg wins the 2020 presidential election, he told Axios that he’s “almost certain” he won’t be the first gay man to serve as president.
Said Buttigieg: “I would imagine we’ve probably had excellent presidents who were gay — we just didn’t know which ones. I mean, statistically, it’s almost certain.”
“If Pete Buttigieg beats Donald Trump in 2020, he’d support a criminal investigation into the former president,” The Atlantic reports.
Said Buttigieg: “To the extent that there’s an obstruction case, then yes, DOJ’s got to deal with it I would want any credible allegation of criminal behavior to be investigated to the fullest.”
“A host of top Buttigieg donors who have been in regular contact with the campaign tell CNN that they expect the mayor to raise more than $15 million in the second quarter. The Buttigieg campaign set a goal of $15 million — just more than double the $7 million it raised in the first quarter — at the start of April.”
“But the quarter has been more successful than anticipated and the campaign is working to exceed its goal in the final 18 days.”
“Pete Buttigieg distanced himself Monday from Democrats who pushed former Sen. Al Franken to resign amid allegations of sexual misconduct, in an implicit critique of his primary competitor, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand,” NBC News reports.
Said Buttigieg: “I think it was his decision to make, but I think the way we basically held him to a higher standard than the GOP does their people has been used against us. I would not have applied that pressure at that time before we knew more.”
“As Democrats agonize over a spate of state laws restricting abortion rights and even a potential reversal of Roe v. Wade, one 2020 presidential candidate is putting an ambitious, long-shot plan to reform the Supreme Court front-and-center of his campaign,” NBC News reports.
“Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has talked about his plan to overhaul the high court since his first days as a candidate. In short, it calls for expanding the number of justices from nine to 15, with five affiliated with Democrats, five affiliated with Republicans, and five apolitical justices chosen by the first 10.”
“Supreme Court experts, though, have raised concerns about whether the proposal is constitutional, as well as whether it could backfire by reinforcing the perception that there are Republican and Democratic justices.”
Pete Buttigieg accused President Trump of using his “privileged status to fake a disability” to dodge the draft during the Vietnam War, CBS News reports.
Said Buttigieg: “This is somebody, who I think it is fairly obvious to most of us, took advantage of the fact that he was a child of multimillionaire in order to pretend to be disabled so that somebody could go to war in his place.”
“The hosts of Fox & Friends responded on Monday to Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s criticisms of Fox News during a town hall on the network, saying that the South Bend mayor’s discussion of Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham’s shows showed ‘absolutely no courage,'” Axios reports.
Said host Brian Kilmeade: “Don’t hop on our channel and continue to put down the other hosts on the channel, or the channel. If you feel that negative about it, don’t come.”
In a Fox News town hall last night, Pete Buttigieg argued that it is time for America to “change the channel” on the Trump show.
South Bend Tribune: “From Austin, Texas, to West Hollywood, Calif., South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential bid has taken him out of town nearly half of the days in recent months, according to his daily calendar, news stories and information online.”
“Of the 120 days from Feb. 1 through May 31, Buttigieg was away or plans to be away from the South Bend area at least 55 days, or 45 percent of the calendar days.”
“Looking at only weekdays, he’s been gone or plans to be out of town for 39 of 86 days — also about 45 percent.”
“Look, it’s not like I killed Bin Laden, right? I don’t want to overstate what my role was, but it certainly is something that was dangerous.”
— Pete Buttigieg, quoted by CNN, describing his military experience in Afghanistan.
Pete Buttigieg insisted that he wasn’t in danger of peaking too soon, Politico reports.
Said Buttigieg: “It’s not like we’re in first place. While I’m thrilled with the fact that we are obviously running ahead of a lot of our competitors — we’ve gotten a lot of favorable attention, and our organization is growing more and more strong in terms of recruiting and finance — it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a long run. This is a marathon. We have a long way to go.”
President Trump told Fox News that he thinks “it’s great” seeing openly gay Pete Buttigieg appearing onstage with his husband.
Said Trump: “I think it’s absolutely fine. I do.”
He added: “I think it’s great. I think that’s something that perhaps some people will have a problem with. I have no problem with it whatsoever. I think it’s good.”
Vice President Mike Pence “wagged his finger at Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg in a Fox News interview that aired Monday, but also suggested he his biting his tongue – for now,” USA Today reports.
Said Pence: “If he wins their party’s nomination, we’ll have a lot more to say about him.”
Politico: “The similarities between their credentials — and the disparity between how their campaigns have been covered on the campaign trail — are frustrating Booker allies who question whether the media is giving the New Jersey senator a fair shot.”
“Other Democrats see Buttigieg’s rise as a reflection of entrenched racial and gender biases — that the Buttigieg bump would be impossible if he wasn’t a white man.”
NBC News: “As dusk descended Thursday over the posh hills of Brentwood, actor Martin Sheen gathered with his former ‘West Wing’ co-stars Bradley Whitford and Mary McCormack to open up their checkbooks for Pete Buttigieg. Hollywood mogul Rob Reiner was also there for the event at actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s home, along with President Obama’s former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and several former ambassadors who showed up to get a glimpse at the South Bend.”
“It was just one of nearly a dozen high-rolling fundraisers that Buttigieg has been holding this week in Los Angeles, San Diego and finally San Francisco, where he is collecting money Friday from Silicon Valley execs at a trio of fundraisers.”
President Trump tried to belittle Pete Buttigieg by referring to him as as Mad magazine mascot Alfred E. Neuman, but Buttigieg told reporters he didn’t get it, Politico reports.
Said Buttigieg: “I had to Google that… I guess it’s a generational thing.”
He added: “It’s kind of funny, I guess. But he’s also the president of the United States and I’m surprised he’s not spending more time trying to salvage this China deal.”
As he staffs up a national campaign, Mayor Pete Buttigieg isn’t providing health care coverage to any of his own campaign workers, an NBC News review of his campaign spending disclosures shows.
“Instead, Buttigieg is providing a monthly stipend to workers to buy insurance on their own through the Obamacare exchanges, his campaign said, with plans to offer health care in the future.”
“The practice stands in contrast to the other leading presidential candidates this year, as Democrats have made a point of aligning their internal practices with the policies and values they are emphasizing on the campaign trail.”
“Pete Buttigieg will headline a series of top-dollar, celebrity laden fundraisers across California this week, the latest sign that his rise in the polls has opened the doors — and the wallets — of donors who had previously dismissed the South Bend, Indiana, mayor’s once-quixotic campaign,” CNN reports.
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
More about Taegan Goddard →