Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stopped by The Daily Show on Monday to talk about the rapidly developing state of the 2024 presidential election—but the conversation soon turned to the subject of Sen. J.D. Vance.
Buttigieg has gone after Donald Trump’s new running mate plenty of times already, but his message this time had an extra kick to it.
“There is a temptation to have our message be entirely about Donald Trump, because we’re so disturbed by what his return would mean,” Buttigieg said. “And maybe a little more also about J.D. Vance, because of how odd he’s turned out to be.”
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He explained to Jon Stewart, “He just systematically insulted so many people. It’s not just the kind of things he said, but the policy ideas behind them. Like, he has this idea that you should get extra votes if you have kids… He suggested that you should have extra votes if you’re a parent.”
“He doesn’t just say that being a parent gives you an important role as a citizen, which I agree with because it gives you a unique perspective on the future; it’s that not being a parent makes you less,” Buttigieg said.
“Oh, I think that’s absolutely how they feel,” Stewart said.
“He said people who don’t have children, this is a quote, ‘have no physical commitment to the future of this country,’” Buttigieg explained. “When I was deployed to Afghanistan, I didn’t have kids back then, but I will tell you: especially when there was a rocket attack going on, my commitment to this country felt pretty physical.”
“Can I tell you something?” Stewart said. “This is why people love seeing you go on their shows. Because that framing is perfect. It points to that idea that, ‘Who are you to tell what’s in someone else’s heart about what they feel about the future or what they feel about this country?’ And the sacrifices that you made, as you said, without having had children, were tremendous.”
Stewart also brought up the GOP’s branding of itself as a friend to the working class, asking Buttigieg, “What is this economic populism based on?”
“Well, it’s not based on policy,” Buttigieg replied. “It’s just body language. It’s this idea that if you just act like you are populist, that counts.”
The secretary explained further: “Look, I’m under no illusions that elections are just a policy exercise… But if your party has been systematically against unions, against a higher minimum wage, against things like paid family leave, against overtime, then just because you found Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock and put them on stage doesn’t make you a friend of the working class.”
