Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Pete Buttigieg opposed the work of President Donald Trump as transport secretary in former President Biden’s administration and refused to say whether Biden experienced cognitive decline in his last few years in the White House, as he questioned reporters Tuesday night.
Buttigieg talked with reporters after serving as Town Hall with veterans in eastern Iowa, sparking more speculation that the 2020 Democratic presidential contender is considering another White House run in 2028, telling Fox News: “I’m not running right now.”
Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa Presidential Core title and ranked second in the New Hampshire presidential primary before Biden quickly proposed the party’s nomination and later the White House.
While Iowa’s half-century core has launched a calendar of presidential nominations for two major political parties, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) downgraded Hawkeye with a 2024 schedule, it is unclear whether Iowa will regain its early state status in the 2028 calendar.
Trump's second term is less than four weeks, Democrats have been paying attention to the 2028 presidential election
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg headlines at Veterans City Hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on May 13, 2025. Buttigieg's appearance has sparked speculation that he may run another presidential campaign in 2028. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
But, Buttigieg's visit, and his announcement in March, will take the Democratic-controlled Senate seat he adopts in his country, signaling his interest in a potential national campaign in 2028.
Buttigieg told an alternative author in a live interview before Town Hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider “the stuff I bring.”
But asking Fox News whether he is also gathering on his journey with the 2020 campaign crew in Iowa, his political group has won a photographer’s follower—is the beginning of the assessment period, “Now, I’m not working on this exciting opportunity, not for the campaign, but for a specific campaign.
Telling the audience that they voted for his audience in 2020 and that if he runs in 2028 he will support him again, he said: “Of course, hear people who support me and then continue to believe what I have to say.”
Watch: Trump Transportation Secretary draws new plans to upgrade aging air traffic control systems
Buttigieg's trip comes in recent days from Trump and Transport Secretary Sean Duffy in the face of the impending fire, a surge in flight delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport, one of three major airports serving the metropolitan area of Newark Liberty International Airport.
Duffy accused his former Department of Transportation and Biden Administration of his claims to have failed to upgrade the air traffic control system at busy airports.
Trump was also in trouble last week, claiming that during his tenure as transportation secretary Buttigieg, “there is no clue. This person is actually a contender for the president?” Trump added. “I don’t think he’s going to do a good job.”
The president's jab was a few days after Buttigieg's incident, pointing out Trump's underwater approval rating in the national poll.
Watch: Trump Transportation Secretary develops new plans to upgrade aging air traffic control systems
The Trump administration argued Buttigieg oversaw the rock transition from Newark Airport airspace to Philadelphia terminal radar entry control (Tracon) last July.
Duffy, who unveiled a major plan earlier this week to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system, claimed that the Biden administration should blame recent problems, including disruptions to air traffic control equipment.
“Maybe when you work from home, or when you work as secretary from Michigan, maybe you aren't focused on the actual problems that are happening in the entire airspace,” Duffy said.
Buttigieg replied that he told reporters Tuesday night: “When you are the Minister of Transport, your job is hard, and your responsibility is to solve the tough problems. You don't have time to indulge in trying to point fingers or blame others.”
“What I can tell you is that we inherited a shrinking air traffic control workforce. We turned it into a growing air traffic controller,” he added. “Of course, my successor is not asking for my advice, but my advice is to make sure it grows and actually deliver the technological change needed.”
Then-President Joe Biden spoke to the State Department on January 13, 2025 at the end of his presidency. (AP)
Buttigieg's trip to Iowa also began the same day, with an excerpt from a new book providing detailed information on Biden's alleged psychological and physical decline in his last two years at the White House.
When asked if Biden has experienced a cognitive decline, Buttigieg would just say, “Every time I need something from the West Wing, I get it.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
But he said if the Democrats would be better when asked if Biden did not run for reelection in 2024.
Biden withdrew from the competition a month after a disastrous debate performance with Trump, sparking calls from fellow Democratic Party members for the then-81-year-old president to end his reelection. At the time Vice President Kamala Harris replaced him on the ticket, who eventually lost to Trump in November.
