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The Don Lemon Show

LEMON DROP | The Brutal Truth Pete Buttigieg's Consultants Won’t Tell Him

The Don Lemon Show

18Hundred LLC.

Society & Culture, News

4.31.2K Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Back in 2019, Pete Buttigieg was dubbed “Mayo Pete” by Black Twitter, a nickname born of skepticism about his authenticity and connection with Black voters. Six years later, despite his polish and rising profile, Buttigieg still hasn’t earned that trust, with recent polls showing zero percent Black support for a presidential run. Don breaks down why safe messaging, consultant polish, and chasing conservative podcasts won’t cut it, and why, without genuine connection in Black communities, “Mayo Pete” might end up being more than just a meme. This episode is brought to you by Lean. Head over to https://BRICKHOUSENUTRITION.com use code LABORDAY25 for 25% off. This episode is sponsored by DeleteMe. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text DON to 64000. Message and data rates apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:22.8

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0:51.6

Maybe they're not doing a good job, but whatever it is.

0:53.8

Just remember, you know, we were very critical of Gavin Newsom, his podcast, when he was not challenging people like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon.

1:03.0

And so when the news came out about Pete Buttigieg getting 0% of the black boat, I thought that I would write something to explain why that might be

1:12.9

happening and how he could improve it. So just so you know, before you come at me, this is something

1:18.9

that is meant to be constructive criticism. Not everybody sees it that way, so you're free to do whatever

1:23.4

you want. But this is on my substack that I wrote about it, and it's, What Shall It Profit Pete, meaning Pete Buttigieg, because he went from zero support,

1:31.8

from Mayo Pete, I don't know if you guys remember that, or from the previous campaign,

1:35.6

from Mayo Pete to zero support. The brutal truth, Pete Buttigieg's consultants won't tell him.

1:42.5

And I write this because it's by me and also Peter Rothpletz on my team.

1:48.0

I write this because I don't want him to make the same mistakes that Kamala Harris's team made in

1:53.1

2024. Back in 2019, as a Democratic primary was just warming up, Pete Buttigieg was given a name

2:00.3

that he has never managed to

2:02.0

escape, and that's Mayo Pete, like mayonnaise. It did not come from political Twitter or gay Twitter

2:09.0

or pundits with blue checks. It came from Black Twitter. If you guys know Twitter, Black Twitter is a

2:14.6

sharp, unruly, prophetic corner of the internet where a joke is never

2:18.2

just a joke, but often a judgment. And from the very beginning, Black Twitter was not buying

2:23.2

what Pete Buttigieg was selling. For whatever reasons, you can go back and look. This is all

2:28.3

true stuff, okay? Some saw the audacity of a small city mayor vaulting from the presidency as naked ambition.

2:36.9

Others found his politics timid, his instincts managerial.

2:41.8

Many saw his cultural whiteness mayonnaise on white bread.

...

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