Cedar Rapids, Iowa — Pete Battigegg opposed criticism from President Donald Trump about the work he did as Transport Secretary of President Biden's administration, and declined whether Biden experienced cognitive decline in his last year at the White House after being asked by a reporter Tuesday night.
Buttigieg told Fox News that he spoke with reporters after editing the City Hall with the Eastern Iowa City veteran, which sparked speculation that the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate would run another White House in 2028, and told Fox News that he was “nothing running now.”
Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa Presidential Caucus and placed second in the New Hampshire presidential primary before Biden surged to claim the party nomination and later the White House.
Iowa's half-century Caucus has launched both presidential nomination calendars for major political parties, but the Democratic National Committee (DNC) demoted Hawkeye State on its 2024 schedule.
Less than four weeks after Trump's second term, Democrats are already paying attention to the 2028 presidential election
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigigue found the headline for Veterans' Town Hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on May 13, 2025. The arrival of Battigieg sparked speculation that there could be another presidential election in 2028. (Fox News – Paulsteinhauser)
Buttigieg's visit is, however, seen as a signal of his interest in 2028, along with his announcement in March that he would hand over the 2026 run for a Democratic-controlled open Senate seat on the battlefield, his adopted hometown.
Buttigieg told the Substack author in a live interview hours before Town Hall that in 2028 he would consider “what I'll take to the table.”
However, Fox News' trip to Iowa was asked if it was followed by the political group videographers who had gathered from the 2020 campaign and acquired the era – the start of the scrutiny period.
The audience who voted for him in 2020 and said they were interested in supporting him again if he ran in 2028 said they would be interested in supporting him again, “Of course, it means a lot to hear people who supported me continue to believe what I have to say.”
The Cedar Rapids event was hosted by Potevets, a progressive group representing veterans and military families in the political process. The group told Fox News that 1,800 people attended the event.
Watch: Transport Secretary Trump has a new plan to upgrade his aging air traffic control system
The trip by Buttigieg came as he faced a fire coming from Trump Trump and Transport Secretary Shawn Duffy about a surge in flight delays and cancellations at Newar Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Duffy denounces the Department of Transport and the Biden administration's predecessor for claiming that he failed to upgrade the air traffic control system at the busy airport.
And last week, Trump also claimed that during his tenure as Buttigigue, a tenure secretary, during his tenure, he “had no clues, and this guy is actually a presidential candidate.” Trump added. “I don't think he's going to do too well.”
The president's jab came a few days after buttigieg, pointing to Trump's underwater approval rating in the referendum. In a social media post, he said, “Donald Trump is the most unpopular 100-day president in modern American history.”
The Trump administration claims that buttigieg oversaw the rocky transition to Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (Tracon) in Newark Airport's airspace last July.
And Duffy, who announced his major plans to overhaul the country's aging air traffic control system earlier this week, blames the Biden administration on recent issues, including the shutdown of air traffic control devices.
“When you're working from home or working as a secretary in Michigan, you probably aren't focusing on the real issues happening across the airspace,” said Duffy, who targeted Battigieg, who lives in Michigan.
Buttigieg told reporters Tuesday night. “When you are the Director of Transportation, when you are doing tough work, your responsibility is to solve tough problems. You don't have the time to point your fingers or try to blame others.”
“What I can tell you is that we inherited a shrinking air traffic control worker. We have transformed it into a growing air traffic control worker,” he added. “Of course, my successors don't want my advice, but my advice is to make sure it grows and make the technological change that is actually needed.”
Then President Joe Biden will speak at the State Department on January 13, 2025 on the closing day of his presidency. (AP)
Buttigieg's trip to Iowa came on the same day. Excerpts from the new book provided details on Biden's mental and physical decline over the past two years at the White House.
When asked if Biden had experienced cognitive decline, Buttigieg simply says, “Every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it.”
“The closest thing I worked with him in his final year was around the collapse of the Baltimore Bridge, and all I can tell you is that the world president saw me in an oval shape.
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But when asked if Democrats would have been better if Biden didn't run for reelection in 2024, he said “maybe.”
Biden dropped out of the race last July after his tragic debate performance with Trump sparked a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats to end his re-election bid. He was replaced by then-President Wies Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. Kamala Harris lost to Trump in November.
