Politics
A Bearded Pete Buttigieg Drops Into Iowa for a Pitch to Veterans
He has a new, carefully groomed beard. He bantered with bros for hours on an irreverent comedy podcast. And on Tuesday, he criticized the Trump administration through an appeal to patriotism in a state early on the presidential nominating calendar.
Pete Buttigieg is inching back into the Democrats’ spotlight this spring with a series of appearances that have prompted speculation about how one of the party’s most evidently ambitious politicians might spend the lead-up to 2028.
With Democrats still searching for a direction and a standard-bearer after November’s loss to President Trump, supporters of Mr. Buttigieg, a smooth-talking former mayor from Indiana who served as the transportation secretary in the Biden administration, hope he might take up that mantle.
Without ever uttering Mr. Trump’s name, Mr. Buttigieg, in front of a veteran-heavy crowd of more than 1,600 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assailed the president’s efforts to cut the Department of Veterans Affairs and his broader handling of the country. He implored attendees to exert “peaceful but energetic” pressure on their representatives to block cuts to federal agencies and tax breaks for the wealthy. And he expressed optimism that people would resist Mr. Trump and restore faith in democracy.
“There is a parade of horribles emanating from this White House,” said Mr. Buttigieg, 43. But, he added, “the American people bow to no king.”
Mr. Buttigieg’s town hall in Iowa, sponsored by VoteVets, a progressive veterans group, was his most notable involvement yet in the Democratic shadow primary race, with prominent governors and members of Congress competing for attention as they weigh 2028 presidential bids.
They have been busy: Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the party’s 2024 vice-presidential nominee, held a town hall in Iowa in March and plans to attend state party conventions this month in California and South Carolina, which is expected to host an early primary. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois ramped up 2028 speculation with a fiery speech last month in New Hampshire, another state traditionally at the front of the primary calendar. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona held an event last week in Pennsylvania, a top battleground state.
And Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who has been less obvious about 2028 signaling but is seen as a possible contender, has been traveling the country alongside Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont to rally supporters against the influence of big money in politics.
VoteVets is an ally of Mr. Buttigieg, a former Naval intelligence officer who deployed to Afghanistan, but the group is also close with other potential 2028 contenders with military experience, including Mr. Walz and Mr. Gallego.
Mr. Buttigieg, for his part, has shown particular interest in how Democrats can win back the overlapping mix of working-class voters, men and disenchanted Americans who gravitated to Mr. Trump’s vision of upending the establishment last November.
At the town hall in Iowa, he offered no hints as to his ultimate political aspirations, though he did remind attendees of his past success in the Hawkeye State.
During one previous trip, “I was sort of winning the Iowa caucus,” he said casually, scratching his head as though reluctant to brag. “Run again!” someone yelled from the crowd. Mr. Buttigieg just chuckled.
Whether Mr. Buttigieg can successfully reach beyond the highly engaged voters who tune into MSNBC and read traditional news — the people who would attend a midweek political event in a non-election year — could determine whether he stands out in what is expected to be a crowded primary field.
Mr. Buttigieg has been explicit about his goal of reaching the apolitical voters who have said they feel the Democratic Party has become too focused on elites. Fielding questions from attendees on Tuesday about how the party could regain voters’ trust, he suggested it needed to have “some tough conversations.”
Democrats, Mr. Buttigieg said, must devise more proactive policy plans, rather than just defining themselves in opposition to Mr. Trump. And the party needed to “connect everything we believe, everything we say, everything we do, to everyday life,” he said.
Mr. Buttigieg also acknowledged his party had done a poor job last year by insisting that the economy was doing well by traditional metrics even as voters were consistently expressing financial frustration, comparing it to minimizing the angst of an angry spouse. “How does that go over?” he asked.
Speaking with reporters after the event, Mr. Buttigieg was less definitive about whether Democrats had erred in supporting President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the re-election bid that he ultimately abandoned over concerns about his age.
Asked whether he had seen Mr. Biden experience cognitive decline last year — something Mr. Biden has pushed back against in recent interviews — Mr. Buttigieg did not answer directly. He did say that when he and Mr. Biden dealt with a bridge collapse in Baltimore last spring, “the same president that the world saw addressing that was the president that I was in the Oval with.”
Would the party have been better off if Mr. Biden had not run for re-election?
“Maybe,” Mr. Buttigieg allowed. “Right now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.”
Zach Wahls, a Democratic state senator in Iowa who is considering a run for U.S. Senate, said Mr. Buttigieg was “trying to meet voters where they are, and I think that is one of the most important things for the Democratic Party to do going forward.”
“His ability to communicate in an authentic, in-depth way is what really gets through to people who may not otherwise be superpolitical or who are frustrated with both parties,” Mr. Wahls added.
That was a sentiment echoed by attendees on Tuesday, who said they appreciated Mr. Buttigieg’s straightforward way of speaking.
“He doesn’t talk that political speech,” said Chris Bzdill, 55, of Cedar Rapids. “He understands that not everybody may agree with his view, but he’s going to give people an idea of where he stands. He’s not going to sit on the fence.”
The Iowa Republican Party had a different perspective on Mr. Buttigieg’s event. In a statement, it said Mr. Trump was improving access to health care for veterans while cutting wasteful spending at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and offered a contrasting take on Democrats from local veterans themselves.
“Mayor Buttigieg and Democrats want to rewrite history, but veterans across Iowa know the truth: President Trump put them first,” Wayne Kreutner, an Air Force veteran in the Cedar Rapids area, said in the statement. “Joe Biden and the Democrats put politics first.”
Mr. Buttigieg first burst onto the national scene in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary as the little-known mayor of South Bend, Ind., population 100,000. He quickly gained acclaim for his sharp debate lines and cogent communication skills, but ultimately faded as Mr. Biden consolidated his support.
Lately, Mr. Buttigieg has been more visible, addressing college students at the University of California, Santa Barbara; getting laughs with Stephen Colbert on his late-night show; and appearing on the “Flagrant” comedy podcast, which bills itself as delivering “unruly hot takes” and opposing political correctness.
Mr. Buttigieg, who now lives in Michigan with his husband and two children, was considered a contender for the open Senate and governor races there, but he bowed out of both contests in March, fueling more speculation about a presidential run.
Mr. Wahls, a friend of Mr. Buttigieg’s who attended the town hall, said before the event that he was eager to see Mr. Buttigieg’s new beard in person. “Beard looks good!” he wrote in a text.
But did he think it could be some sort of careful political calculation, planned to better appeal to the everyman voter? “I don’t know,” Mr. Wahls replied. “Every man’s relationship with his facial hair is a little different; I won’t speculate.”
Denise Powell, a political organizer, won the Democratic primary election in a key Nebraska House district, according to The Associated Press.
She will face Brinker Harding, a Republican city councilman, in the general election, a pivotal contest in a battleground district that comes as Democrats try to recapture control of Congress this fall.
Representative Don Bacon, the Republican incumbent in the district and a frequent critic of President Trump, chose not to run for re-election, setting up a high-profile clash for an open seat in Omaha.
Ms. Powell narrowly triumphed in a competitive Democratic primary that centered on an unusual argument: that electing her chief rival, State Senator John Cavanaugh, could make it easier for Republicans to win the White House in 2028.
The argument stemmed from the way Nebraska allocates its electoral votes in presidential elections. Most states follow a winner-take-all approach, but Nebraska gives just two of its votes to the statewide winner, then gives one to the winner of each of its three congressional districts. In recent elections, the Omaha-area district has typically gone blue in presidential contests and awarded its electoral vote accordingly, even as the two other Nebraska congressional districts typically went to the Republican candidate.
That could make a difference in a close presidential contest.
State Republicans have tried to repeal the so-called blue dot system — named for the blue, liberal dot Omaha represents in a sea of Republican red — but Democrats in the State Legislature have been able to block that effort.
Mr. Cavanaugh’s opponents argued that if he won the House primary and left the State Senate, it would mean one fewer vote to keep the blue dot. Mr. Cavanaugh argued that the system was safe, and that Democrats were likely to be elected in other State Senate seats to compensate for his departure.
The argument may have been enough to help Ms. Powell to victory. A super PAC with ties to Republicans also spent against Mr. Cavanaugh.
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President Donald Trump opened his high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by predicting a “fantastic future together” — striking an unusually warm tone as his administration pursues new trade and investment deals with Beijing.
“In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had,” Trump said at the start of the bilateral meeting Thursday local time. “We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along.”
“And whenever we had a problem, we worked that out very quickly,” he continued. “We’re going to have a fantastic future together.”
Trump also praised Xi directly, calling him “a great leader” and emphasizing the personal relationship between the two leaders as a foundation for future cooperation.
President Donald Trump opened his high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by predicting a “fantastic future together.” (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH
Xi, in his own opening remarks, emphasized cooperation and shared interests between the two countries.
“As leaders of major countries, this year is the 250th anniversary of American independence,” Xi said, according to a translator. “Congratulations to you and to the American people. I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences.”
“Success in one is an opportunity for the other, and a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world,” he continued.
XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD ‘LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION’ WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS
“China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era.”
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026, to discuss the Iran conflict, trade imbalances, the Taiwan situation, and to establish new bilateral boards for economic and AI oversight. (Evan Vucci/Reuters)
Xi added that he looked forward to working with Trump “to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China–U.S. relations so as to make 2026 a historic landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China–U.S. relations.”
The comments came as Trump arrived in Beijing accompanied by a delegation of top American executives, underscoring the administration’s focus on economic dealmaking even as broader tensions between the two countries remain unresolved.
INSIDE THE ‘DIGITAL LOCKDOWN’ FOR US OFFICIALS AS TRUMP ARRIVES IN CHINA
“I just want to say, on behalf of all of the great delegation that we have … we have the greatest businessmen,” Trump said. “We ask the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said yes.”
The delegation includes executives from major U.S. firms spanning aerospace, finance, technology and agriculture, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.
White House officials said ahead of the trip that Americans should expect the president to “deliver more good deals,” with talks expected to include aerospace, agriculture and energy, as well as continued work on a proposed U.S.-China “Board of Trade” and “Board of Investment.”
The emphasis on dealmaking comes after years of friction between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology and military competition. (Kenny Holston/Pool via Reuters)
A senior administration official said the potential trade framework under discussion could involve “double-digit billion” levels of commerce, along with possible purchase commitments from China in areas such as aircraft and agricultural products.
The emphasis on dealmaking comes after years of friction between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology and military competition.
Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods — a policy he has continued into his second term — while repeatedly accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices.
He also has criticized past U.S. policy that helped integrate China into the global trading system, arguing Beijing benefited from open markets without offering the same access in return.
But in his opening remarks Thursday, the president emphasized business ties and personal rapport, highlighting what appeared to be an effort to stabilize economic relations between the world’s two largest economies.
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The comments came as administration officials said trade discussions with China are ongoing, alongside talks on issues including Iran, artificial intelligence and other security matters.
Trump’s praise of Xi is consistent with his longstanding approach of using personal diplomacy with foreign leaders, including rivals, as a negotiating tactic — though whether that approach will translate into concrete agreements with China remains to be seen.
BEIJING — An extraordinary display of power and precision along Tiananmen Square greeted President Trump in Beijing on Thursday, kicking off a two-day summit with particularly high stakes for the Americans.
Trump’s meetings with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, began at the Great Hall of the People moments after a welcome ceremony that seemed to impress the president, featuring a Chinese military honor guard and a greeting from excited schoolchildren. American flags waved as “The Star Spangled Banner” rang out on a smoggy day in the heart of the capital.
Children holding Chinese and U.S. flags rehearse before the welcome ceremony for President Trump.
(Maxim Shemetov / Associated Press)
Trump reflected on the stakes of his visit at the top of the meeting, telling Xi that the ceremony was an honor “like few I’ve seen before.”
“There are those who say it may be the biggest summit ever,” he said. “I have such respect for China, the job you’ve done.”
Both men struck a conciliatory tone, despite the agenda for the summit featuring some of the thorniest issues facing the two superpowers today, including the U.S. war in Iran, trade relations and the future of Taiwan.
“We’ve gotten along — when there have been difficulties, we’ve worked it out,” Trump added. “We’re going to have a fantastic future together.”
Trump is expected to ask Xi for help reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital commercial waterway disrupted by Iran since the start of the war, and for the extension of a truce in the trade war he started at the beginning of his second term.
China, in turn, will ask the Trump administration not to proceed with arms sales to Taiwan, despite their approval by Congress, and for a declaration of opposition to Taiwanese independence. Beijing also seeks access to top-end chips made by American manufacturers.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump shake hands at the Great Hall of the People.
(Kenny Holston / Associated Press)
The agenda exposes the mutual dependence of the two rival superpowers, marked by distrust but driven by a quest for cooperation and stability.
The welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall kicked off with Xi shaking the hands of Trump’s delegation, including figures such as his political advisor, James Blair, his communications director, Steven Cheung, and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.
They were just a few members of a U.S. delegation accompanying Trump filled with curiosities.
Chinese officials were surprised to learn that Pete Hegseth was joining Trump in Beijing this week, marking the first time a president has brought his secretary of Defense on an official state visit. It wasn’t immediately clear to the Chinese what his inclusion was meant to convey.
Eric Trump, the president’s son, is here, seeking to leverage the family name for lucrative business deals as Beijing aggressively campaigns against government corruption at home. And First Lady Melania Trump decided to stay at home, an unusual snub of such a high-level event.
A contingent of U.S. business leaders was given little notice to prepare for the trip, including the chief executive of Nvidia, who raced to join Trump aboard Air Force One at a refueling stop in Alaska.
The diplomatic faux pas follow weeks of Chinese frustration over what they see as the Trump administration’s lack of preparation — a perceived display of incompetence that boosts their confidence heading into the negotiations.
Over the course of the visit, Trump is expected to visit the Temple of Heaven, a monument to imperial China and Confucian thought in the center of Beijing. Ahead of Trump’s arrival, an area roughly the size of 400 American football fields was closed in preparation for a stop here.
On Thursday night, local time, Trump will return to the Great Hall of the People for a banquet dinner. Additional meetings are scheduled for Friday morning before Trump departs midday for home.
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