Democratic presidential candidate and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Sunday suggested that people who cast their votes for President Trump in the 2020 election are “looking the other way on racism.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper bluntly asked Buttigieg on State of the Union if it was a “racist act” to vote for Trump.
“Well, at best, it means looking the other way on racism,” Buttigieg responded. “Basically what he’s saying is, ‘All right, I want you to look the other way on the racism, tolerate the negativity, accept the instability of my administration because I’m going to deliver for you job growth almost as good as the Obama years.’ That’s what his argument amounts to right now and it’s part of the reason why he’s unpopular.”
Buttigieg and other 2020 Democratic candidates have slammed Trump in recent weeks for perceived racist and xenophobic comments about four minority congresswomen.
The South Bend mayor pointedly called Trump a racist while speaking at the National Urban League last month in Indianapolis, marking one of the first times Buttigieg has referred to the president in such a harsh tone.
“My generation saw this country elect its first black president and then turn around and elect a racist to the White House — and we ought to call that what it is,” Buttigieg said to loud cheers from the crowd.
