Trump Attacks Buttigieg Calling Him a ‘Lousy Mayor’ and Says ‘He’s Going Nowhere’ After Criticizing Iran Attack

On Thursday, Buttigieg remarked on Twitter: “Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all 176 souls lost aboard this flight.” He linked to CBS News footage of the downed aircraft and wreckage.

Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat.

My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all 176 souls lost aboard this flight. https://t.co/zWaVgWxfdL

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) January 9, 2020

According to Newsweek, “Iran on Saturday admitted their military shot the plane down this week near Tehran, killing all 176 people on board, in an accidental move that Foreign Minister Javad Zarif blamed on ‘human error.’ The Iranian government’s accusation that ‘U.S. adventurism led to the disaster’ was echoed by Buttigieg, who said innocent civilians died because they were caught in Trump’s ‘unwanted military tit for tat.'”

Speaking with Fox News host Laura Ingraham Friday, the president did not respond to Buttigieg’s specific claim and instead simply labeled him a “lousy mayor.”

Fox reported, “The president pointed out that Buttigieg was summarily slammed by critics for the remark, though added that the statement was ‘low-life.'”

Last night at Los Angeles fundraiser, according to Deadline, Buttigieg said of Trump, when asked about the possibility that President Donald Trump would not show up for general election debates that they need to make sure that there is a “price to be paid” if Trump refuses to debate, and said that skipping the event would be a “show of weakness.”

Buttigieg also talked to his supporters about how to build support at a time of intense polarization. He tied it to the upcoming Trump impeachment trial in the Senate.

“I would urge you to reach out to people that you know who are this close to just switching the whole thing off, because it’s exhausting, like watching this impeachment  process, and knowing that when it reaches the floor of the Senate, it may well be a foregone conclusion, it’s exhausting,” he said, according to the pool report. “It makes it feel like they’re just going through the motions, and it creates a sense of helplessness. And that sense of helplessness is what the cynics would need in order to win.”

Pete Buttigieg At L.A. Fundraiser: If Trump Doesn’t Do General Election Debate, It’ll Be A “Show Of Weakness” https://t.co/GuT4yYid5k pic.twitter.com/jL0RvvHHeF

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) January 11, 2020