A video of Democratic White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg speaking to reporters in fluent French after the Notre Dame fire went viral on Monday.
The South Bend, Ind., mayor was asked for comment about the cathedral by a French reporter with BFMTV. He immediately turned to the camera and gave his condolences to the French people. The video has been viewed by nearly 3.24 million people as of Tuesday afternoon.
“To the French people, I would like to say that the Notre Dame Cathedral is essentially a gift to mankind. We share in our pain, but we are also thankful for [the French people’s] gift to civilization,” Buttigieg told reporters in French.
« Au peuple de France je voudrais dire que la cathédrale Notre Dame, c’était comme un cadeau à l’espèce humaine. Nous partageons la douleur mais nous vous remercions aussi de ce cadeau à la civilisation. » @PeteButtigieg à @BFMTV
Et en français! ????#NotreDame pic.twitter.com/0xbf5lGhYH— Cédric Faiche (@cedricfaiche) April 15, 2019
Buttigieg, who has built himself an intellectual persona which is often used by supporters to draw contrasts with President Trump, says he speaks seven languages: Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Arabic, Dari, and French.
The latest RealClearPolitics polling average has former Vice President Joe Biden leading the pack by 9.3 percentage points, sitting at 31%. Buttigieg currently sits in sixth place with 7% support. His numbers, however, have been trending upwards, with the latest Emerson poll, released on Sunday, showing Buttigieg in third place with 9% support.
[Read more: 2020 Dems: Buttigieg leapfrogs Warren, Harris, O’Rourke to No. 3]
