Pete Buttigieg went after Donald Trump on Friday after the president faced criticism for his recent comments about people of color. The 2020 presidential hopeful called Trump “racist” and spoke about how he would tackle systemic racism in the country while speaking at the National Urban League Conference, according to The Hill .
“My generation saw this country elect its first black president and then turn around and elect a racist to the White House — and we ought to call that what it is,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg also laid out his plan to address broader racism in the country with what he calls his “Douglass Plan,” which is named after the famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass. “Mayor Pete” proposed investing in communities with health and education funding, as well as better civil rights education in schools.
“I think for too long we have believed that we were on a path where systemic racism was going to take care of itself in this country,” Buttigieg said.
“I’m going to be speaking about these issues not only with mostly black audiences, but with mostly white audiences.”
The Democrat has struggled to drum up support from African American and black voters. CNN recently showed the South Bend mayor with effectively zero support among black voters. This comes after he faced backlash from constituents in his city after a black man named Eric Logan was shot by South Bend police.
Buttigieg was also criticized for demoting the police force’s first black police chief and demolishing homes in predominantly black neighborhoods.
?Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act ?Public Safety Employer Employee Cooperation Act ?Sick Leave ?Paid family leave ?Protections for domestic workers ?Gender nondiscrimination I’m very impressed by @PeteButtigieg ‘s new plan. #AFTvotes https://t.co/PmmEB805aN
— Randi Weingarten ????????? (@rweingarten) July 26, 2019
Trump attacked Buttigieg earlier this month.
“He runs a failed city. His city is doing so badly,” Trump said.
According to the Indy Star , Trump said that he asked Vice President Mike Pence, who was governor of Indiana, what he thought about Buttigieg.
“Mike is one of the nicest human beings you’ll ever meet, and Mike said, ‘He never did a good job. I’m so shocked to see him running,’” Trump said.
He later added that black residents in South Bend thought he had done a poor job and were “so angry” with the mayor.
Buttigieg’s adviser responded to Trump’s comments, saying that it was sad that the president of the country was working so hard to get the attention of the mayor.
TMZ recently asked whether he preferred to see Trump see in office or to have Trump leave and Pence take the office.
Buttigieg has said that Pence is not supportive of LGBTQ+ people, but he would rather have Trump leave office because of the corruption he believes the president has brought to the office.
