Former Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg has been going on Fox News a whole lot lately, and on Tuesday he explained his reasoning.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, went on ABC’s “The View” for its Election Day coverage, and was asked by co-host Ana Navarro why he continues to return to the conservative network, where we “don’t typically see very many Democrats,” and how he manages to stay so unflappable in his calm delivery of the facts.
“Here’s how I think of it,” Buttigieg answered. “Most of the viewers of Fox News don’t agree with me politically and definitely the people kind of controlling the content on that network, in my view, aren’t always being fair.”
“But ... I can’t blame somebody for not supporting my perspective if they have literally never heard it,” he continued. “So it’s my job to get that view in front of viewers who are tuning in in good faith.”
Buttigieg has made headlines in the weeks leading up to the election with his measured responses and fact-checks during regular, and sometimes combative interviews on the network as a surrogate for the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
He argued on Tuesday that President Donald Trump and the current political moment have prompted many people, especially Republicans, to reconsider their political beliefs.
“Now that we have this moment, this president who really has offended conservative values as well as progressive values ― really, American values ― I think that gives us a moment to build a different kind of coalition,” he said.
He said he was “so excited about what could happen” if Republicans, independents, moderates and even progressives in his own party could get on the same page about some issues such as climate, racial justice and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The virus doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican. ... It’s a threat to all of us, so we’ve got to build some common ground here,” he said.
“And to me, finding common ground doesn’t mean watering down your values or pretending to be something you’re not. It just means taking other people seriously and sharing why you care so much.”
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