Pete Buttigieg on His Run for President

NATIONAL LEVEL.

I GET THAT IT'S UP CONVENTIONAL FOR SOMEONE WITH A MAYORAL BACKGROUND TO TALK ABOUT THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND WHEN A MORE TYPICAL BACKGROUND WOULD HAVE BEEN HAVING BEEN IN WASHINGTON KIND OF MARINADING IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, MAYBE IN THE CONGRESS FOR MANY YEARS.

WERE YOU --UT I BELIEVE WE AG OUT OF TIME TO MAKE SURE OUR NATIONAL POLITICS IN THE CONGRESS LOOKS LIKE OUR BEST RUN CITIES AND TOWNS INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

SO YOU BROUGHT UP YOUR LOCAL LEVEL ELECTION, AND PRESUMABLY A LITTLE BIT YOUR AGE.

YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE ANTICIPATING YOU'RE GOING TO GET PUSHBACK FROM THE OPPOSITION AND ALSO FROM WITHIN YOUR OWN, YOU KNOW, DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY CANDIDATES.

ON AGE, ON BEING A NEOFIGHT, ON ALL OF THAT.

ARE YOU ANTICIPATING AND ARE YOU GEARING FOR UP GROWING SOME TEFLON ON THOSE PARTICULAR ISSUES?

LOOK, IF THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO CHALLENGE MY EXPERIENCE, I WOULD JUST POINT OUT THAT I HAVE MORE YEARS OF GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE THAN THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF.

AND IF THAT'S A LOW BAR, I ALSO HAVE MORE YEARS OF EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNMENT THAN THE VICE PRESIDENT.

AND MORE MILITARY EXPERIENCE THAN ANYBODY WHO HAS ARRIVED IN THAT OFFICE ON DAY ONE SINCE GEORGE H.W. BUSH.

SO IT MAY SOUND A LITTLE CHEEKY AS THE YOUNGEST PERSON IN THE CONVERSATION, BUT I WOULD SAY EXPERIENCE IS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS I BELONG AT THE TABLE.

I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT GENERATIONAL CHANGE IS SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP US APPEAL TO MORE PEOPLE OF EVERY GENERATION.

YOU KNOW, THREE OUT OF THE LAST FOUR PRESIDENTS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AGE.

PRESIDENTS BUSH, CLINTON AND TRUMP WERE ALL BORN WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF EACH OTHER IN THE SUMMER OF 1946.

NOW I DON'T MEAN TO SAY THAT YOU NEED TO BE A CERTAIN AGE OR NOT BE A CERTAIN AGE IN ORDER TO SERVE, BUT I DO THINK THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE EMERGING FROM MY GENERATION, YOU SEE SOME OF THEM CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS RIGHT NOW, AND I THINK WE NEED THAT IN EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP BECAUSE I BELONG TO THE GENERATION THAT EXPERIENCED SCHOOL SHOOTINGS AS THE NORM.

I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL WHEN THE COLUMBINE SHOOTING HAPPENED.

I BELONG TO THE GENERATION THAT PROVIDES MOST OF THE TROOPS, INCLUDING MYSELF, IN THE CONFLICTS AFTER 9/11 AND IS BEARING THE BURDEN OF THE FOREVER WARS.

AND I BELONG TO THE GENERATION THAT IS GOING TO BE ON THE BUSINESS END OF ISSUES LIKE CLIMATE CHANGE FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.OULD EVEN STATISTICALE ON TRACK TO BE THE FIRST GENERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY TO MAKE LESS THAN OUR PARENTS IF SOMETHING ISN'T DONE.

I THINK CLEARLY THERE IS A LOT WRONG AND PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO KIND OF BRING BIG PICTURE, BOLD SOLUTIONS TO THE FORE, BUT ON THE GENERATIONAL ISSUE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT AND OTHERS ARE SAYING, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE SWEEP BY DEMOCRATS OF CONGRESS, THAT THERE IS A MUCH MORE SORT OF PROGRESSIVE, MORE LEFT-WING, SOME PEOPLE MIGHT EVEN SAY SOCIALIST CHARACTER TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

DRIVEN IN PART BY THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION WHO ARE COMFORTABLE WITH THOSE LABELS AND DON'T FIND THEM TO BE PEJORATIVE.

ARE YOU -- TELL ME ABOUT WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE VOTERS ARE GOING TO COME FROM IN THE NEXT