Pete Buttigieg was caught blushing after a retired teacher praised his speaking skills—in an apparent jab at President Donald Trump.
“It’s a complete pleasure to be able to hear somebody speak in complete sentences,” the man told a town hall led by former transportation secretary Buttigieg in Iowa on Tuesday.
The room erupted in cheers and applause, and many people rose to their feet in appreciation of the former teacher’s quip, which didn’t mention Trump by name, but appeared to be aimed at the Republican president. A bashful Buttigieg responded, “I do my best.”
Members of the veterans’ group VoteVets Action Fund attended the town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday. It is where Buttigieg won a Democratic primary in his unsuccessful bid to run for president in 2020.
The former teacher asked Buttigieg to speak to a court case in Oklahoma about the separation of church and state, and about tax money being spent on religious schools.
In another quip, he told the audience, “I pay more taxes than Jeff Bezos does… I don’t mind paying taxes, but I would like to have it spent where it needs to be spent.”
Buttigieg said the separation of church and state was a “foundational principle” of the U.S. that was “being tested” in schools.
He described going to a Catholic school in South Bend, Indiana, but said that his parents never thought that their neighbors should have to pay for it through their taxes.
The former transportation secretary was asked whether he thought the Democrats would have fared better in the 2024 Presidential election if Joe Biden had not tried to run, to which he responded “maybe.”
“Right now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.”
Buttigieg has hinted he may run for president in 2028, saying he will “assess” a potential campaign and see “what I bring to the table,” during a live interview with Substack The Ink.
“There are times I’ve followed that process and decided to run, and there are times I’ve decided not to run. And the process can lead you to surprising places,” he told Anand Giridharadas.
Trump openly mocked Buttigieg’s potential candidacy last week, telling reporters: “He’s actually a contender for president, between him and [Jasmine] Crockett you can have that party.”
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