Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg gave a brutal assessment of Vice President JD Vance’s beliefs on Friday.
The question came up during an interview at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, when journalist Jeffrey Goldberg asked Buttigieg whether he believes Vance is a “fascist.”
Although Buttigieg referred to Vance as a “blood-and-soil nationalist,” he didn’t flat-out declare Vance a fascist. Instead, he suggested the vice president is willing to be whatever it takes to help his ambitions.
“If it’s convenient for him to be a fascist, he’ll be a fascist. Maybe later on, he’ll go back to being a Silicon Valley Democrat. He’ll be whatever he needs to be,” Buttigieg said.
He then reminded people in the audience that Vance “is a guy who went from ‘Donald Trump is Hitler’ ― that’s what he said ― to, you know, ‘I’ve seen the error of my ways.’”
“He’ll be something new later on, maybe, but that’s my point,” Buttigieg added.
You can watch the full exchange here, and see a clip of Buttigieg’s comments on Vance below.
Buttigieg has called out Vance’s political flexibility in the past.
In July 2024, during an appearance on “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Buttigieg noted that Vance had previously said Trump could be “America’s Hitler,” and said that people like Vance say whatever they must to “get ahead.”