‘SHOW SOME RESPECT’： Buttigieg slams Trump over ‘completely unacceptable’ USS Lincoln crisis

Back with me is the former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and there's so much I want to talk to you about but The thing I think it's at the top of my list is that you know You were a Naval Reserve intelligence officer one of your many jobs over the years and and we have heard about just these awful Conditions and the food shortages and the mental health crises on the Abraham Lincoln I want to play Trump's response yesterday when he was pressed about it and get your reaction on the other side So that ship is moving no, they're not that ship is moving right now or very shortly and it's being replaced with another very similar ship No, no, no, not nearly long enough He said not nearly long enough. Mr. Secretary He needs to show some respect To the troops that he is sending into harm's way and he has done the opposite the way he is talking about and more importantly Treating the military members and military families is completely completely unacceptable you know when you sign up to serve and and I know what that's like you do so knowing that the top of your Chain of command that the Secretary of Defense the the president Maybe from this party or that party over the course of your military career It's not supposed to matter because it's not about politics for you But the way that it's happening right now is that they have sought to politicize the military They have undermined the military in so many ways while claiming to do the opposite, you know Just yesterday in the airport at two different active-duty troops come up to me talking about some of the pressure They feel that they're under and the distractions they're experiencing because of what's happening at the top of their chain of command Which just should not be their problem and then to think of the actual conditions that these deployed sailors are going through When you were in charge When you were the commander-in-chief the absolute least you could do is show some moral support for what they're going through even if this White House and this Pentagon are failing to Shorten the historic record-breaking length of deployments even if they are failing to improve the conditions on the ships Which by the way is unacceptable but even if that's the case the very least that they can and should do is show some regard for the Sacrifice that those service members are making and demonstrate that they understand what they are being asked to do What is secretary Hegseth's responsibility here in all of this and what should the consequences be? Well, look he has failed this country and he has failed our troops time and time again He's done that from the early days when he failed to protect classified information to this time when obviously on his watch Serious serious problems are happening affecting readiness and morale they've been so busy pursuing culture wars and PT glow-ups trying to look good at workouts that he's obviously taken his eye off the ball of Protecting our troops and making sure our warfighters are equipped to do their job I Would I do want to ask you about your other gig as former secretary of transportation because there's so much going on in that world That I want to ask you about and here are just some of the some of the headlines Sir, current secretary of transportation Sean Duffy announced the campaign to recruit gamers to solve the ATC air traffic control shortage Ice going across airports. They're arresting immigrants With expired visas inside the airports. They've got a data-sharing agreement with the TSA as well Trump's been using federal funds to Get infrastructure projects to bear his name leveraging that and basically threatening to withhold it. What of all of this what is the most? Troubling to you based on what you know about our our transportation system the infrastructure and what we need right now Well, look the the focus of any secretary of transportation Republican or Democrat ought to be the safety the integrity and the efficiency of the US transportation system, but we're seeing right now is yet another example the kind of corruption that has so many people Infuriated with the Trump administration. It's one of the reasons why this traditionally conservative district where I am today in Nevada is in play When you see things like the the president trying to condition funding for infrastructure projects that millions of people count on on Whether some station or or tunnel or bridge or something gets named after him back in Michigan where I live They delayed the opening of a key international bridge to Canada Basically because a Trump super PAC donor got to a cabinet member and he was making a lot of money off the old way When you hear stories like this infamous road trip of the secretary which started out as just an embarrassment and then it turned into an actual scandal because we learned that it was being financed by the Companies he regulates and now there's a new rule coming out from the Department of Transportation that will make it easier for airlines to hide the true price of airfares this is just the exact opposite of what it means to protect the American traveler both in terms of Focusing on their safety and in terms of making sure that as consumers everybody is protected protected And you know, you see a lot of frustrated travelers as a result Since you mentioned it this this ridiculous ridiculous reality TV show his family was gonna road trip across the United States It was supposed to air in June and there's no sign of it. There are There's a nonprofit I guess that did this and behind the funding is all of these different companies Boeing and Toyota They donated a million dollars to its shell United Airlines the US Travel Association trace chase travel Royal Caribbean What the hell is going on there? Look in an era where the president United States and his family members can make a billion dollars while in office from things like crypto Deals, it's easy to just get used to this sort of thing from the highest levels down to a place like the DOT But that doesn't mean it's okay. That doesn't mean it's normal the road trip thing they pulled it because originally it was just an embarrassment because it was a bad look for the secretary to be saying that Road trips fit any budget at the exact moment when President Trump increased our gas prices with the Iran war But what escalated it from an embarrassment to a scandal was this discovery that it's being paid for by companies that he regulates This is not some like nitpicking thing. This is fundamental question of integrity And the secretary's lack of integrity reflects the broader pattern of corruption that has so many people including many people who voted for Trump Saying we can't have any more of this. We at least need to have some balance in Congress going into the next year It's been fascinating to watch you go across the country you're packing venues as you go you've been focused on saving the Democratic map expanding it even in 2026 like they're in Nevada, but Level with me. How are you feeling about running for president in 2028? Where are you at? You know, I'm really trying to keep those conversations and those discussions in their place, which is after November Obviously, you know a lot lots of conversations about what comes next. You got to be thinking about Yeah, I mean look that's no secret But the reality is so much depends on making sure we get Congress into the right hands We have an opportunity to flip the Senate We have an opportunity to flip the house and we really need to make sure we're doing that So I'm going everywhere that I can Campaigning with great candidates like Teresa Benitez Thompson who I'm with today In Nevada and just making sure that that we connect with voters again Republicans are in the middle of a very aggressive effort to tilt the maps. They can't persuade the voters So they're trying to rearrange the voters that makes it all the more important for us to be relentlessly focused on things like making life more affordable Getting people the the economic security that they need standing up to these tax breaks and and corrupt favors Going to the wealthiest people and the kinds of corporations that can donate to ballrooms and buy memberships at Mar-a-Lago We have a chance to redirect the course of this country before it's too late And while for all the obvious reasons the commentators are already in 2028 mode The simple reality is that we're living through a season that's going to be decisive in terms of what happens next in this decade It is 80 days away We got to do everything we can to make sure that we get these seats into the right hands Yeah, we're watching closely. Keep us posted if you will that second congressional district will be Important should you decide to run for for the president United States in 2028 Pete Buttigieg former transportation secretary. I appreciate you being here. Thanks Same here. Appreciate being with you