Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed on Tuesday that he is “assess[ing]” whether he will run for president in 2028.
After serving as transportation secretary under the Biden administration, Buttigieg’s name has been tossed around as a possible Democratic presidential contender ahead of the 2028 election.
While touring Iowa, a state whose caucus is viewed as crucial to picking presidential contenders, Buttigieg announced he is indeed considering a run. He won the Iowa Democratic caucus during his brief presidential run in 2020.
During a live Substack interview with journalist Anand Giridharadas, Buttigieg said that before making a final decision, he’ll “assess the office and what it calls for” as well as “assess what I bring to the table.”
“There are times I follow that process and decided to run. And there are times I followed that process and decided not to run. And the process can lead you to surprising places,” Buttigieg said, adding that he is a “long way off” from a decision.
The possible 2028 contender’s remarks came just a few hours before he hosted a town hall for veterans in Cedar Rapids. Sponsored by the left-wing organization VoteVets, the town hall focused on how Democrats fear President Donald Trump‘s cuts to federal agencies and programs will negatively affect veterans and military families.
Amid speculation he will run for the country’s highest office, Buttigieg has been ramping up outreach on new media platforms, which are increasingly viewed as critical to reaching large swaths of voters.
“I’m using my voice best I can in traditional media and new media, and I’m going to continue having conversations with neighbors, with voters, talking about how we could have a better way,” he previously told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t know what that means for me, politically or professionally, a long way from making any decisions about that, but I know that’s what I need to be doing right now.”
Buttigieg further addressed his media strategy on Tuesday, explaining that he is trying to reach “people who represent a real breadth of ideological difference.”
Broadening his appeal is critical to reaching a majority of the electorate and clinching a win should he run in 2028.
“Right now, I live in a 50-50 county in Michigan,” Buttigieg told Giridharadas. “I’m literally, physically, co-located with people who represent a real breadth of ideological difference. And I know … that many of them or some of them are ready to entertain very different ideas or at least think twice when you talk to them on their terms, but you have to actually do it, which is why I go on Fox News, which is why I’m spending more time in podcasts and online spaces that have not been really progressive-oriented.”
Republicans are already targeting Buttigieg, particularly over his time overseeing the country’s transportation infrastructure. In the wake of revelations that the country’s airspace system is alarmingly outdated and in need of an overhaul, Buttigieg has been attacked by critics who say he failed to implement needed modernizations to keep travelers safe.
In the wake of multiple critical outages at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has accused Buttigieg of failing to maintain airport infrastructure adequately.
“I think it is clear that the blame belongs with the last administration,” Duffy said earlier this month. “Pete Buttigieg and [former President] Joe Biden did nothing to fix the system that they knew was broken.”
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Trump has also weighed in on Buttigieg’s ambitions, recently saying he “didn’t have a clue” about aviation safety.
“This guy didn’t have a clue. And this guy is actually a contender for president?” the president said incredulously to reporters.
