Pete Buttigieg Calls President Trump ‘Really Mean’ In Response To Young Child’s Question
On Sunday — during a campaign fundraising event in Palo Alto, California – Pete Buttigieg was asked, by a young girl, what his strategy would be to beat President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. His reply included labeling Trump as “really mean.”
According to Fox News, the South Bend, Indiana, mayor explained to the girl that he wouldn’t use the same tactics that the president uses.
“The most important thing is we can’t play his game. Ya know how he’s really mean? He likes to call people names,” Buttigieg said in response to the girl’s question.
“If we do it his way, I think we’re going to lose, so we have to change the whole game.”
Buttigieg went on to explain to the girl — and the crowd — that typically, voters want the opposite of whichever president currently holds the Oval Office. He then said he’d be the perfect choice because he’s the “total opposite” of President Trump. The crowd reportedly rewarded Buttigieg’s statement with a round of applause and laughter.
He also told the audience that voters need to consider what type of person they want in the White House.
For today’s event in Palo Alto, Pete asked all the children to sit in front and ask the first questions. Why?
“When you look into the eyes of a child, your moral priorities suddenly become clearer.”
Here, he answers a young girl’s question on how he will beat Trump. pic.twitter.com/Z0nPkQxFBq
— the old sv pete! (@archive_pete) June 2, 2019
At one point, while taking questions, the South Bend mayor momentarily choked up when asked by another young child about ending school shootings. He talked about better gun control measures, and of keeping firearms out of schools.
“We cannot let you down,” he said. “Those of us in elected office owe it to you to do whatever it takes, even if it means losing an election every now and then, to keep you safe.”
@PeteButtigieg tears and chokes up with emotion when 2nd grader asks how to keep schools safe from mass shootings. #2020 pic.twitter.com/1U9VQ4YZZg
— Brendan Mullen (@BrendanMullen_1) June 2, 2019
According to USA Today, on Monday, during an MSNBC town hall event, the popular mayor vowed that if he was currently in Congress, he would agree to impeach Trump. After being asked by an audience member if he would take House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s more methodical approach to impeachment, he said that it’s a “process” — and that if Congress pursues impeachment against Trump, it better be “airtight.”
Chris Matthews, host of the town hall, told the audience — while introducing Buttigieg — that no other candidate has “ignited” as much buzz since former president Barack Obama.
Though Buttigieg currently sits in fifth place in the race, according to polls — at six percent, according to current RealClearPolitics average polling — he only trails his two closest competitors, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Kamala Harris, by a few percentage points.
In a Monday poll by Hill-HarrisX, Buttigieg came in at third place, just behind Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden.
NEW POLL: Pete Buttigieg now third in national poll of 2020 Democrats https://t.co/GHHdEHInCP pic.twitter.com/paoUFu3kr0
— The Hill (@thehill) June 3, 2019
The mayor’s popularity rose in May, in part due to a town hall hosted by Fox News. That town hall drew 1.1 million viewers, and was the top-rated hour of programming for that night amongst cable news networks, according to The Hill.
