Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Donald Trump’s running mate after Vance officially embraced the false claim that Trump won the 2020 election. Buttigieg called the move “shameful” and warned it could be a political misstep.
Appearing on CNN’s OutFront with Erin Burnett on Wednesday, Buttigieg didn’t hold back. “First of all, it’s wrong, of course, Donald Trump lost,” Buttigieg said. “And I think he knows that. I think he’s lying. I also think it’s a mistake politically because voters have a dim view of election deniers.”
Vance had previously avoided making definitive statements about the 2020 election, but on Wednesday, he publicly aligned himself with Trump’s false narrative. Buttigieg highlighted this shift, noting that Vance had “tried to avoid officially becoming an election denier” until now. “Now that he’s given a straight answer, J.D. Vance is officially on the record as an election denier—something that is shameful,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg, who was speaking as a Harris surrogate, referenced the 2022 midterms, where many election deniers lost key races, especially in swing states. “Pretty much anybody who was an election denier who was on the ballot in so many swing state statewide races, lost,” he noted, suggesting Vance’s decision could hurt him politically.
The criticism didn’t end there. Buttigieg took aim at Vance’s motivations, suggesting that Trump’s influence pushed Vance to embrace the falsehood. “Donald Trump has probably demanded that he lie and that he say that,” Buttigieg said, referencing Trump’s hold over his running mate.
Buttigieg also framed Vance’s denial as a fundamental attack on the democratic process. “A politician not being able to say they lost an election—one of the most fundamental parts of how democracy works—is one of the most disqualifying things,” Buttigieg said.
Reflecting on his own experience, Buttigieg added, “It’s no fun to lose an election. I know what it’s like to lose an election. But you do it. It should go without saying.”
Buttigieg’s rebuke comes as election denial remains a divisive issue within the Republican Party, with many candidates facing backlash for refusing to acknowledge the results of the 2020 presidential election.