Updated May 14, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Buttigieg, weighing 2028 bid, says "maybe" Biden's 2024 run was a mistake

Rebecca Falconer

Then-Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg testifies before the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of House Appropriations Committee at the Rayburn House Office building at the U.S. Capitol on April 30, 2024. — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the U.S. Capitol last year. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed on Tuesday he's considering a possible 2028 presidential run and weighed on former President Biden's impact on the 2024 election.

The big picture: Buttigieg was in Iowa on Tuesday, where he won a Democratic primary during his unsuccessful 2020 presidential run while mayor of South Bend, Indiana, which saw him make a splash and earned him a place in the Biden administration.

Reporters asked him after he headlined a town hall with veterans' group VoteVets Action Fund in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, if Democrats would've fared better in 2024 if Biden hadn't initially run for re-election against President Trump.
"Maybe," Buttigieg responded, per multiple reports. "Right now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that's the case."

Zoom out: Ahead of the town hall, Buttigieg said during a Substack Live interview with independent journalist Anand Giridharadas he'll "assess what I bring to the table and how it's different than the others."

He noted "there are times I follow that process and decided to run, and there are times I followed that process and decided not to run — and the process can lead you to surprising places."

Yes, but: Buttigieg said "any kind of decision process there is a long way off."

Go deeper: Exclusive: Biden aides discussed wheelchair use if he were re-elected, new book says

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more comment from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

<br/>

Add Axios on Google

Buttigieg, weighing 2028 bid, says "maybe" Biden's 2024 run was a mistake

What to read next