Pete Buttigieg returned to Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday to talk about his historic run for office and several other things.
Asked for his reaction to the Mueller Report, Buttigieg said: “It confirmed a lot of things we were worried about, that we have a president who acts in a self-serving way, that there was a lot of behavior that was at best unethical and legally problematic, to put it charitably, and the way that the attorney general conducted himself as though he were the personal attorney for the president was incredibly troubling too. At the same time, politically, I’m not sure it will change much, and it’s one more reminder that if we really want to send Trumpism into the history books the best thing we can do is defeat it decisively at the ballot box in 2020.”
Remarking on his background as a naval intelligence officer, Buttigieg added: “To see the way that intelligence is being politicized, to see the way that military families are being used as props by this president is demoralizing. And it’s one more reason why it might not be a bad idea to have someone in the White House who actually served.”
Buttigieg also talked about the Trump voters he’d like to win over: “If somebody voted repeatedly Democratic and then voted for this president. Out of any number of reasons, but basically voted to burn the house down, I want that voter back voting Democratic again.”
Buttigieg also talked about his experience as mayor and how it will help him for the presidency.
And his moment on stage with Chasten: “If nothing else it’s just a reason to be hopeful. Running for office is an act of hope. You don’t do it unless you believe that it’s at least possible, using the mechanics of the political system to make better things happen. And as somebody whose marriage exists because nine women and men sat and took a vote and by the grace of one vote we get to be married now, I understand how the decisions that are made in those big white buildings really affect our lives.”
Buttigieg added: “The idea that at the beginning of this decade I had a choice, I could either be out or I could be in the military. I could either be out, or I could run for elected office. And the idea that just a few months later I could announce a campaign for the American presidency and my husband comes out on stage after I do it, just shows you what is possible in this country.”
