Pete Buttigieg hammers Trump at Iowa town hall amid 2028 presidential speculation [View all]
Source: NBC News
May 13, 2025, 9:19 PM EDT / Updated May 14, 2025, 4:51 AM EDT
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took aim at the Trump administration in an Iowa town hall and discussed the Democratic Party's path forward — amid speculation about a potential Democratic presidential bid of his own in 2028.
Buttigieg opened his remarks at the event, hosted in Cedar Rapids by the progressive group VoteVets Action Fund, by saying that progressives, conservatives, and libertarians should be able to unite around the an understanding that freedom "means freedom from overbearing government.""At a moment when the president of the United States thinks he could send you to another country, or shut down the broadcast license of a TV station, if he doesn’t like what it has to say — that is not freedom," Buttigieg said.
During a Q&A session with attendees, Buttigieg fielded questions on subjects including the Trump administration threatening to suspend habeas corpus, contending that lawmakers who have been silent figure they "have more to fear from the president of the United States than the people of the United States.” "I am convinced that members of Congress and the president’s party know that this is wrong," Buttigieg said, while urging audience members to grab lawmakers' attention in peaceful ways, as many Republicans shy away from holding town halls.
Responding to a question about due process, Buttigieg criticized the Trump administration over its failure to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador in March. "One person, least of all, no one politician, gets to decide that you’re a criminal," Buttigieg said. President Donald Trump has said he “could” arrange for Abrego Garcia’s return with a phone call, contrasting claims his administration has made in court that it cannot get him back.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/pete-buttigieg-hammers-trump-iowa-town-hall-2028-presidential-speculat-rcna182754
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