Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg conceded that Vice President JD Vance is “very smart” but doubted the vice president’s integrity in a recent podcast appearance.
“He’s very intelligent. I think he’s very smooth. I think he’s very capable. That’s why we definitely shouldn’t — I know there’s a temptation to make fun of him, and — but, you know, I can do it with the best of them, sometimes when you see how he conducts himself out there,” Buttigieg said on Pod Save America.
“But let’s be clear, we’re talking about a very smart person, not a very principled person,” he continued.
Buttigieg also commented on Vance’s shift on President Donald Trump, whom he once called “America’s Hitler.”
“It didn’t take him many years to go from comparing Trump to Hitler, which he did, to saying that he ought to be the leader of the free world,” Buttigieg said.
The former transportation secretary was responding to a question from the host regarding a possible presidential run for Vance. Trump has not outright endorsed his vice president but has indicated his support for Vance’s would-be candidacy.
HERE’S WHERE POSSIBLE 2028 PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDERS ARE GOING AS THEY VISIT EARLY PRIMARY STATES
Buttigieg himself is seen as a possible 2028 presidential contender, having run for president in 2020. Other Democrats in the national conversation about a 2028 nominee include Govs. Gavin Newsom (CA), Andy Beshear (KY), and Josh Shapiro (PA).
No one has announced a bid for president in the 2028 race.
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