Buttigieg tells crowd he is the best bet to defeat Trump

Pete Buttigieg speaks to a large crowd at the Washington-Liberty High School football stadium in Arlington.

Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg told the crowd at a rally in Arlington Feb. 23 he is the only candidate who can bring the country together and attract enough independent voters to defeat Trump.

The former South Bend, Ind., mayor needs to do well in the Virginia primary on March 3 and the other upcoming contests to stay competitive.

Virginians show their support for Buttigieg.

“I believe the way we will build the movement to defeat Trump is to being people into our tent and not to call them names online,” Buttigieg said. “We have to do this together. That means building a tent big enough to draw us in.”
The purpose of the office of president is the “unification and empowerment of the American people,” he said, “not the glorification of the president.”

Unlike Bernie Sanders, who is leading the delegate count so far, and whose socialist label will hurt him in the general election, Buttigieg says he is in a better position to deny Trump a second term.

Buttigieg believes it’s important to have an inclusive agenda to not only keep Trump out of the White House but also “to keep the House in the right hands and send Mitch McConnell packing.”

Unlike Sanders who would eliminate private health insurance, Buttigieg would extend federal healthcare to everyone who wants it, while allowing people happy with their private insurance to keep it. He would also ensure everyone has access to coverage for mental health and substance abuse and that “there is no such thing as an unaffordable prescription.”

While Trump touts the nation’s healthy economy, Buttigieg says, “the only economic promise he kept is tax cuts for giant corporations.” And while Trump “likes to cloak himself in the language of religion, he asks Rush Limbaugh for advice on values.”

It’s not just about defeating Trump though, he said; it’s about laying out an agenda “on what we are for.”

For Buttigieg that means elevating wages, leading the world on taking action to address climate change, providing a pathway to citizenship, and having a secretary of education who believes in public education.

“We need a commander in chief who will not send troops into a way that could be prevented,” said Buttigieg, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan.

“This can become a country where race has no bearing on your wealth or your experience with law enforcement,” he said, and “where the Second Amendment can no longer be twisted into an excuse so nothing can be done about gun control.”

He talked about the importance of youth activism – especially in climate change and ending gun violence – to help move the country forward.

When asked how he would address the lack of affordable housing, Buttigieg cited his plan to create two million affordable housing units, as well as raise the minimum wage, enforce fair housing rules, and give people the ability to build wealth where they grew up. Every family deserves to be able to live in a safe neighborhood free from environmental contamination, he said.

When asked about LGBT issues, Buttigieg, who aims to become the first openly gay president, vowed to “end the war on trans-Americans.” He expressed hope in the county’s changing attitudes, noting, he grew up in a time “when you could be in politics or gay, not both, and when you could be married or gay, and not both.”

“There are times when we have no choice but to fight,” he said, but unlike Sanders, he believes “we can’t get to the point where all we do is fight.” Instead, he said, “we need a little more kindness in this world.”

“You are here because you have some sense of hope that tells you our lives can be better,” Buttigieg told the crowd. Running for office “is an act of hope,” and so is volunteering and voting, he said, urging people to join his campaign.

“You are building a campaign that will defeat this president,” he said. “This is our one shot, so we’ve got to get it right.”