Pete Buttigieg Says Mike Pence “Complicit” in White Nationalism Rise

Hoosier nemesis?

South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg had strong words for vice president and former Indiana governor Mike Pence.

During an appearance on BuzzFeed's morning show AM to DM, Buttigieg called Pence "at best complicit" in the resurgence of white nationalist groups after Donald Trump's election, Politico reports. A recent Southern Poverty Law Center report showed that the number of hate groups, most of them white nationalist groups, has risen to an all-time high under the current administration.

"I think the moment you come on board with a project like the Trump campaign or the Trump-Pence administration, you are at best complicit in the process that has given cover for the flourishing and the resurgence of white nationalism in our midst," he said.

Buttigieg also said the VP has been "consistently horrible" and that more hate might be on the horizon due to "what seems at best to be a level of negligence, if not encouragement, coming from the highest office in the land."

He added, "It's an obligation for anyone in a position of authority or power -- or even just visibility -- to speak out about why it's wrong, why it's not consistent with American values and why, if we really want to talk about safety and security, that has less to do about putting up a wall from sea to shining sea than making sure that people are not continuing to be radicalized into violent white nationalism."

Buttigieg recently passed the minimum number of donors needed to join the first televised Democratic presidential debate, making him the first out gay presidential candidate to participate in one. He also recently placed third behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders in a poll of potential Iowa voters.

Buttigieg knows that his campaign is building momentum and told AM to DM that he can keep from falling off the radar by offering voters substance.

"What we're trying to do is put forward an account of where America is headed; what we think we need to do about it; what freedom, democracy and security mean in substantive terms, especially why they point in a progressive direction in my view," he said.

No wonder there are so many people willing to join the #PeteFleet.

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