Pete Buttigieg on Biden, Trump, Gaza, and His 2028 Presidential Plans

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

Society & Culture

4.2 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2025

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is on the shortlist of Democrats expected to make a run for the White House in 2028. Six years ago, the then-mayor of South Bend, Indiana, burst onto the national political scene as the first openly gay major presidential candidate. His centrist appeal and platform of good governance helped him win the Iowa Caucuses, edging out independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and then-former Vice President Joe Biden. But should Buttigieg choose to run again, he’ll face a much more fractured Democratic electorate that’s still divided over Gaza, the 2024 election, and the best strategy to counter the MAGA movement. In a live conversation recorded at the University of Michigan’s Rackham Auditorium, Kara and Pete talk about his concerns over how the Trump administration is using the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk to crack down on free speech; why he and other Democrats struggle to speak clearly about the war in Gaza; and his vision for a post-Trump America. Buttigieg also weighs in on whether he is, in fact, planning to run for president again in 2028. Thanks to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy for hosting this conversation. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm starting to agree with Tucker Carlson on this fake gay thing.
0:04.0	No, I don't. No, I don't.
0:06.0	Chaston has threatened to have my gay card revoked so many times.
0:10.0	This is just going to be the latest.
0:12.0	We're going to definitely have to report you after this one. Hi, everyone from New York Magazine and the Box Media Podcast Network.
0:29.1	This is On with Kara Swisher and I'm Kara Swisher.
0:32.3	My guest today is Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former
0:36.6	Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg burst the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and former Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
0:39.4	Buttigieg burst onto the national scene as a 2020 candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination,
0:45.2	and he's on the short list of Democrats expected to make a White House run in 2028.
0:49.9	But if he chooses to go for it again, he'll face a much more fractured Democratic electric than he did five years ago.
0:55.9	The party is still divided over the war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel, the reasons behind the Democratic Party's waning support among rural, working class, and minority voters, and the continued fallout from Biden's decision to run again in 2024.
1:09.6	I've interviewed Pete Buttigiegs several times, including
1:12.2	when he was on the upswing and also post his run when he was Transportation Secretary. So I've
1:17.9	had a lot of insight into his development over time, and he still remains one of the most
1:22.8	interesting candidates around in the Democratic field. He's also found a way to reach across the aisle in a way
1:29.9	very few others have. We recorded this interview on Wednesday, September 17th, just hours before
1:35.3	the Atlantic reported on a second excerpt from Vice President Kamala Harris's upcoming book.
1:40.8	In it, Harris says Buttigieg was her first choice to be a running mate, but she decided
1:45.3	it would be, quote, too big a risk for a black woman to run with a gay man. Speaking to political
1:50.8	Thursday, Buttigieg said he was surprised by Harris's comments and added that he believes in, quote,
1:57.0	giving Americans more credit than that. Ouch.
	...

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