A video posted on the social media platform X shows former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaking at Francis Marion University in South Carolina, allegedly to gain the attention of Black voters after his failed 2020 White House run.
Various commenters under the X post were overwhelmingly hostile towards Pete Buttigieg, with many targeting his short tenure as Transportation Secretary during the Biden Administration from 2020-2024. There us also considerable skepticism towards his apparent suggestion that Republicans are losing political ground, causing further controversy.
In the video, Pete Buttigieg speaks at Francis Marion University on various topics, including alleged Republican records and responses to them. He says, “Republicans are losing because they can’t run on their record. They can’t run on covering up the Epstein files. They can’t run on cutting Medicaid. They can’t run on stripping SNAP or imposing tariffs.”
Pete Buttigieg was the first openly gay candidate to run for president, as well as one of the youngest. However, South Carolina is also one of the states that was won by Joe Biden during the 2020 election. Now, it appears that he is attempting to win the favor of the state.
While in South Carolina, Buttigieg also spoke to a crowd of 200 at an NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner, where he said, “There is no such thing as again in real life. The only way out is through. If we recognize and embrace a future that is different from the past, we will do better.”
The applause he was met with both during what he said in the video above and during his NAACP speech was much larger than when he was in South Carolina in 2020. This change could mark a pivotal point in his presidential journey.
Comments and Reactions to Pete Buttigieg’s Midterm Message in South Carolina
Many commenters weren’t interested in accepting Buttigieg’s assessment that Republicans are losing and instead used the post to criticize his own political record. One person sarcastically asked, “Please tell us exactly what your record is? Or better yet, what is your plan? We will wait.” Similarly, another user wrote, “Hmmm, have you looked at your record as Transportation Secretary???“
Others questioned his prediction, with a different user writing, “We’ll see about the “Republicans are losing” [expletive]. With your DSA candidates you’ll be lucky to win anything in November at which time you’ll backtrack what you said. Be careful, we are listening to this communist [expletive].“
As Buttigieg continues campaigning for Democrats and testing his political strength ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run, conversations like this one show that his previous record will remain a major part of how both supporters and opponents respond to whatever he does next.
