A misquote of 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful and South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg went viral and was widely criticized before the reporter who made the mistake corrected it.
LA Times journalist Evan Halper wrote an article that contained the following misquote attributed to Buttigieg: “The failures of the Obama era help explain how we got Trump.” That would be a bold statement because Barack Obama remains a popular figure in the Democratic Party, and attributing the rise of Donald Trump to Obama’s “failures” would be seen as putting the blame in the wrong place.
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This led to the #ByePete hashtag blowing up on Twitter as people criticized Buttigieg, calling him arrogant, conservative, and disloyal to the Democratic Party.
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@PeteButtigieg while you’re traveling in private jets, It appears that South Bend could use your undivided attention! I’m appalled at how a small-time mayor who “couldn’t get it done” and never won a statewide race, has the audacity to criticize the Obama Administration! #ByePete pic.twitter.com/HnYMtgKqxD
— Jamiah (@NJPrince21) November 11, 2019
Buttigieg won’t be the nominee. He can’t win without the Black voting block. And he’s not getting that vote. Time for him to exit the stage. #ByePete
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) November 11, 2019
As a member of the #LGBTQ community… I had my@hopes for him but he keeps disappointing me over and over again. #ByePete https://t.co/QFDGBhOFrg
— Jason Rodriguez (@Jyor_305) November 11, 2019
#Buttigieg attacks #Obama again after swiping #HillaryClinton in past. #ByePete arrogant inexperienced thinks he is superior & Above us. Pete has nothing but rehearsed lines. https://t.co/wj4xnuvs9P
— Jaloney Caldwell (@sunbeanz) November 11, 2019
Even competitor and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro tweeted about quote, but he later deleted the tweet.
But it turns out that Buttigieg never blamed Obama for Trump in the first place.
Halper tweeted early this morning that Buttigieg actually blamed “the old normal,” not “the Obama era.” Halper blamed the noise at the rally for the misquote.
My story about @PeteButtigieg ends with him referring to the “failures of the Obama era.” That’s an inaccurate quote — the result of transcribing a noisy recording at a loud rally. His exact words were “failures of the old normal”
— Evan Halper (@evanhalper) November 11, 2019
He also said he “deeply regrets the mistake.”
I think because I come from a part of the country where normal has been a real problem for a very long time, and I think the failures of the old normal help explain how we got to Trump, I am much more interested in building a future that is going to have a lot of differences."
— Evan Halper (@evanhalper) November 11, 2019
The LA Times updated the article but hasn’t stated that the original version of the article was in error.
The Buttigieg campaign released audio and a transcript of the exchange in question, which was about how Buttigieg plans to distinguish himself from former Vice President Joe Biden.
Audio/transcript from q on the bus that led to misquote of @PeteButtigieg in @latimes. Also a reminder that we provide media access that NO other campaign does & it leads to hours and hours of tape.
Thank you, @moran_caleb. https://t.co/G1wL6vCHf5 pic.twitter.com/4F3LVWpnTf
— Lis Smith (@Lis_Smith) November 11, 2019
And Buttigieg thanked the reporter for the apology.
“From health care to DADT repeal to the rescue of the auto industry, my appreciation of the great leadership of Barack Obama comes from a very personal place,” he tweeted.
I appreciate this reporter’s swift and honest correction of a misquote on my views of the Obama presidency. From health care to DADT repeal to the rescue of the auto industry, my appreciation of the great leadership of Barack Obama comes from a very personal place. https://t.co/eWvSDtcpTQ
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) November 11, 2019
