South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a presidential candidate, said Tuesday a winning campaign for the Democrats in 2020 will challenge President Trump’s rhetoric but should not critically focus on every single thing Mr. Trump says.
“On the one hand, when he says something that isn’t true, we have to say so. When he does something wrong, we have to call it out. Then we have to move on very quickly because a really robust message for my party can’t revolve around the personality of someone from another party,” the Indiana Democrat said in an interview with CNN’s “New Day” show.
“A lot of Democrats were so horrified by who the Republicans were nominating that we almost forgot that saying ’don’t vote for the other guy because he’s terrible,’ even if it’s convincing, is not the same as having a message,” he continued.
Mr. Buttigieg said Mr. Trump “should not have been able to get close” to winning the presidency, adding “a lot of Republicans would say the same thing.”
The mayor on Sunday officially joined a crowded race of almost 20 Democrats currently vying to be the nominee to challenge Mr. Trump in the 2020 election.
Despite his relatively unknown beginnings, Mr. Buttigieg is currently polling third in Iowa and New Hampshire.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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