Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday that former President Joe Biden "should not have run" for re-election, a sharp public rebuke from an ally who spent years defending the president’s mental acuity.
Buttigieg made the comment on NBC’s "Meet the Press," saying that if Biden had decided earlier not to run, "we might have been better off." Buttigieg, 43, added that Biden’s choice was personal and that others were not in a position to make that decision for him. The former secretary stressed that attention now must turn to the choices that follow Biden’s exit from the 2024 race.
Buttigieg’s remarks mark a change from his earlier, more defensive public posture. In May he told reporters that, with "the benefit of hindsight," most people would agree Biden should not have run. In July, on NPR’s "Morning Edition," Buttigieg said he had not seen evidence of cognitive decline in Biden and attributed some public missteps to tiredness, adding, "Every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it." He also cited work with Biden around the Baltimore bridge collapse as an example of the president’s capability while in office.
Buttigieg was asked about a forthcoming memoir by Vice President Kamala Harris in which she recounts what she described as Biden’s "recklessness" in choosing to seek a second term. A preview of Harris’ book published by The Atlantic quotes her asking, "Was it grace or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness." Buttigieg told NBC he agreed with the assessment that Biden should not have tried to run again.
Biden, 82, ultimately withdrew from the 2024 presidential contest after facing growing pressure from fellow Democrats, and Vice President Harris assumed the party’s nomination. Harris was defeated by President Donald Trump in the general election.
The post-election period has involved public reckoning within Democratic ranks over how party officials and advisers assessed and addressed questions about Biden’s fitness for another term. The debate intensified after the release of "Original Sin," a book by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which reports that multiple cabinet officials privately doubted Biden’s ability to discharge his duties. The authors did not name those officials.
Buttigieg’s evolution on the issue comes as he is viewed by some political operatives as a potential contender for the 2028 Republican or Democratic field; he has not announced any presidential plans. His latest comments add to a string of candid reflections by Democrats who were part of the administration or the 2024 campaign, as the party assesses its strategy and leadership going forward.
Buttigieg emphasized that Biden’s decision to run was the president’s alone. He urged focus on the decisions that follow and on addressing the consequences of the 2024 campaign’s disruption to Democratic plans. His comments are likely to reverberate as the party debates accountability, candidate vetting, and how to position itself ahead of future elections.
White House and campaign officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Buttigieg’s latest remarks.