A senior adviser to Hillary Clinton blasted Democratic 2020 hopeful Peter Buttigieg, saying it was “indefensible” for him say that President Trump understood concerns of ordinary voters that Clinton failed to perceive.
“This is indefensible. [Hillary Clinton] ran on a belief in this country & the most progressive platform in modern political history. Trump ran on pessimism, racism, false promises, & vitriol. Interpret that how you want, but there are 66,000,000 people who disagree. Good luck,” Nick Merrill tweeted.
He was responding to a comment Buttigieg made more than two months ago but after a week in which the South Bend, Ind., mayor gained fresh attention after rising in the polls.
This is indefensible. @HillaryClinton ran on a belief in this country & the most progressive platform in modern political history. Trump ran on pessimism, racism, false promises, & vitriol. Interpret that how you want, but there are 66,000,000 people who disagree. Good luck. https://t.co/N3yRgHPVDL
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) March 30, 2019
Buttigieg, 37, said in a Washington Post profile in January that Trump understood the concerns of ordinary Americans in a way Clinton did not.
“Donald Trump got elected because, in his twisted way, he pointed out the huge troubles in our economy and our democracy,” Buttigieg said. “At least he didn’t go around saying that America was already great, like Hillary did.”
Merrill continued to flame Buttigieg, retweeted on person who said “It’s pretty simple. Slam HRC…lose my vote,” and another who chimed in: “It is unfortunate when people as smart as @PeteButtigieg engage in this fantasy fiction about 2016. And as a gay American it is disappointing because @HillaryClinton ran a campaign which amongst its many values championed our community.”
Buttigieg, who has been gaining traction and notoriety in the media and throughout Democratic circles, rose to fifth in the latest Quinnipiac poll, released Thursday. He was tied with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and edging out other well-established Democratic senators such as Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. He has cleared the 65,000 individual donor threshold and will be extended an invitation to the first Democratic presidential nomination debate in Miami, Fla., this summer.
