Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg issued a stark warning about the future of American democracy under Donald Trump’s renewed leadership, describing the ongoing government shutdown as another example of Republicans choosing chaos over governance. In a conversation with MeidasTouch anchor Luke Radel, Buttigieg tied the shutdown directly to Trump’s political project, which includes dismantling health care, destabilizing institutions, and eroding public trust.
“It’s pretty clear to me that you’ve got a President and Republican Congress who would rather see the entire government shut down than allow Americans to be able to afford their health care,” Buttigieg said. He noted that Trump and his allies are “giddy” about the damage a shutdown can cause, calling it “exactly the kind of chaos that this president brings every single day.”
Buttigieg, who oversaw implementation of President Biden’s landmark infrastructure package, highlighted the destructive impact of the shutdown on projects critical to the economy and public safety. He pointed to $18 billion in frozen funding for New York City infrastructure, including repairs to the Hudson River tunnels, an economic lifeline for the Northeast corridor.
“It makes no sense to shut down or stop these projects, and it’s not even clear that that is legally something that they can or should be doing,” Buttigieg said, warning that hundreds of thousands of commuters could be stranded if repairs stall. By contrast, he emphasized, the Biden administration delivered infrastructure dollars “red, blue and purple,” never withholding funding based on politics.
On health care, Buttigieg dismissed GOP talking points that Democrats are holding the government hostage to extend benefits to undocumented immigrants. “It’s just a lie,” he said. “You’re not eligible to get these health benefits if you’re not in this country legally. But the really upsetting thing is tens of millions of Americans, American citizens, are losing their health care or paying more for health care because of these Republican policies.”
The conversation also touched on Trump’s assault on universities, including recent moves to force schools to shutter or rename offices of diversity and inclusion. Syracuse University, where Radel conducted the interview, recently closed its Office of Diversity and Inclusion under pressure. Buttigieg likened these demands to the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, except, he said, the outcome is dangerous, not charming. “That independence is something that they’re going to come back and try to take a little more of. Starts with little things, and then it gets to bigger things,” Buttigieg warned. “One thing we’ve seen, especially in the more dramatic cases of universities like Columbia making a major concession and deal with the administration, is they just keep coming back for more.”
Buttigieg defended President Biden’s leadership during his time in the cabinet, recalling how the White House delivered during moments of crisis such as natural disasters and the Baltimore bridge collapse. At the same time, he acknowledged the difficult decision Biden made to step aside in 2024, noting that “we’d be better off if that had happened sooner.”
Asked about Democratic leadership in Congress, Buttigieg praised Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for “standing up right now” under impossible conditions, given Republican control of all three branches of government and a judiciary increasingly deferential to Trump.
Most urgently, Buttigieg urged young Americans not to disengage despite the dysfunction in Washington. “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem,” he said. “Indifference could be all that the president needs to consolidate total power in this country.”
Pressed by Radel on whether he intends to run for president in 2028, Buttigieg left the door open but made no commitments. “I don’t know, I haven’t decided,” he said. “But what I do know is that all of us who care about where the country is headed need to be speaking out. I’m going to continue traveling the country, engaging people… about how we can get to something completely new and different in the political life of this country.”
For now, Buttigieg’s focus remains squarely on the dangers of Trumpism. His message was unambiguous: young Americans, in particular, cannot afford to sit out. “The longer you’re planning to be here, the more you have at stake in things that are happening right now,” he said.
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