Donald Trump has been dusting off some old lines, recently taking a couple of rather pointed swipes at former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Not only is Trump blaming him for the current spate of air safety dramas in the US, but he also couldn’t resist a dig about Buttigieg being married to a man.
Never one for getting names quite right, Trump offered his take: “When they took over, Buddha-dedge… who has no clue.”
Then came the rather imaginative scenario, served with a heavy dose of sarcasm: “You know, he drives to work in his bicycle with his, with his, in all fairness, with his husband on the back, which is a nice loving relationship.” He added, “But he didn’t have a clue. This guy… didn’t have a clue.”
Trump says Pete Buttigieg "has no clue. You know, he drives to work on his bicycle with his, in all fairness, with his husband on the back."
For the record, Pete has never been spotted cycling to work on a tandem with his husband, Chasten. A quick search for such a picture comes up empty. It seems like a rather creative, if predictable, way to throw shade at Buttigieg and his marriage. Trump, of course, has a history of opposing marriage rights for same-sex couples, though it’s not always front and centre in his campaigns.
Over on his platform, Truth Social, Trump continued, “Air Traffic problems caused by the incompetent Biden Administration, as headed by, in this case, a total novice and political hack, Pete B. I WILL FIX IT!!!”
These comments from Trump arrive after a period where his own administration saw the dismissal of aviation safety officials, possibly including air traffic controllers. Adding to the mix, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency reduced air traffic controller numbers this year. This situation follows years of challenges in staffing these critical roles, compounded by the use of out-of-date technology.
Just last week, things got real when an anonymous air traffic controller in Newark urged travellers to steer clear of Newark Liberty International Airport. Their stark warning? “Don’t fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs.” The controller stated the airport is “not safe” because over 20 percent of air traffic controllers had walked off the job, and mentioned ongoing communications issues over the past year. The tension ramped up over the weekend when air traffic controllers in Philadelphia briefly lost contact for about 30 seconds, a glitch officials put down to ageing equipment.
Another voice, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, also laid blame on Buttigieg for the air travel issues during what would be considered Trump’s second term’s oversight period. Duffy wrote on X, “Celebrating Transit Equity Day. Chairing The Equity Council. Stopping racist roads. Building bike paths. Funding studies on gender non-conforming people. This is the c**p Pete Buttigieg focused on instead of fixing the problems with Newark and our entire air traffic control system.” He added, “Buttigieg and Biden didn’t lift a finger to fix our air traffic control system.”
This is not true. In April 2024, Buttigieg requested more funds from Congress to hire additional air traffic controllers. However, with Republicans in control of the House at the time, that funding increase did not get the green light.
Meanwhile, Pete Serves Some Sauce Of His Own
While the blame game over air safety continues, Pete Buttigieg had a few choice words for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Why? She managed to confuse artificial intelligence (AI) with A1 steak sauce during a public address. Last month, McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., was at an education innovation summit in Arizona.
In her prepared speech, she said, “A school system that’s going to start making sure that first graders, or even pre-Ks, have A1 teaching in every year. That’s a wonderful thing.” She continued, “Kids are sponges. They just absorb everything. It wasn’t all that long ago that it was, ‘We’re going to have internet in our schools!’ Now let’s see A1 and how can that be helpful.”
Buttigieg: Like I love A1 steak sauce, but A1 steak sauce is not one of the most important things confronting humanity right now. Artificial intelligence is. And somebody who doesn't understand that probably should not be leading an important federal agency. pic.twitter.com/9d0BUvDWDj
Naturally, A1, the actual steak sauce brand, lapped up the unexpected publicity, posting an image to Instagram stating, “Agree, best to start them early,” alongside a picture of a bottle labelled “For education purposes only.” Cheeky.
Buttigieg, however, found the mix-up a bit more concerning. Appearing on Jen Psaki’s MSNBC show, he commented, “You’ve got the secretary of education saying we need to make sure kids are trained in something she calls ‘A1,’ which means she doesn’t understand it, that it’s AI, she doesn’t understand artificial intelligence.” He then landed the zinger: “I love A1 steak sauce, but A1 steak sauce is not one of the most important things confronting humanity right now. Artificial intelligence is. And somebody who doesn’t understand that probably should not be leading an important federal agency.”
Pete Buttigieg: “We would not be in this situation if the government, the economy and the politics of our country were healthy. They’ve been unhealthy for a long time. And if we seem like, if my party seems like it’s calling for a return to the status quo…pic.twitter.com/BdEHgTlrrY
— IT’S TIME FOR JUSTICE (@LiddleSavages) May 7, 2025
Beyond The Banter: What Is The Big Picture?
These remarks from Buttigieg were part of a wider conversation about the future direction of the Democratic Party. He also spoke about the need for Democrats to offer a positive vision for the country, rather than solely criticising Republicans. This part of the interview has been gaining traction online. “We have got to make sure that our opposition and everything we’re against, and obviously there is a lot to be passionately against right now, but it has to travel with a clearer picture of what we are for,” Buttigieg explained.
He stressed that many voters were not swayed by purely anti-GOP messaging last year. He posed it as, “a question of making clear to everybody how your everyday life is different if we’re in charge compared to if they’re in charge. What your life could be like if wages went up like we proposed they be raised, what we would do with the money if we successfully stopped the tax cut for the wealthy?” He concluded, “We would not be in this situation if the government, the economy, and the politics of our country were healthy. They’ve been unhealthy for a long time. And if we seem like, if my party seems like it’s calling for a return to the status quo… politically it will fail.”
So, while the political theatre keeps us entertained (or exhausted), the underlying issues of infrastructure, leadership, and vision remain. One has to wonder, will the focus shift to solutions anytime soon?
Donald Trump Mocks Pete Buttigieg For Having A Husband. Pete Has his Own Shade To Throw!
Donald Trump has been dusting off some old lines, recently taking a couple of rather pointed swipes at former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Not only is Trump blaming him for the current spate of air safety dramas in the US, but he also couldn’t resist a dig about Buttigieg being married to a man.
Never one for getting names quite right, Trump offered his take: “When they took over, Buddha-dedge… who has no clue.”
Then came the rather imaginative scenario, served with a heavy dose of sarcasm: “You know, he drives to work in his bicycle with his, with his, in all fairness, with his husband on the back, which is a nice loving relationship.” He added, “But he didn’t have a clue. This guy… didn’t have a clue.”
For the record, Pete has never been spotted cycling to work on a tandem with his husband, Chasten. A quick search for such a picture comes up empty. It seems like a rather creative, if predictable, way to throw shade at Buttigieg and his marriage. Trump, of course, has a history of opposing marriage rights for same-sex couples, though it’s not always front and centre in his campaigns.
Over on his platform, Truth Social, Trump continued, “Air Traffic problems caused by the incompetent Biden Administration, as headed by, in this case, a total novice and political hack, Pete B. I WILL FIX IT!!!”
These comments from Trump arrive after a period where his own administration saw the dismissal of aviation safety officials, possibly including air traffic controllers. Adding to the mix, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency reduced air traffic controller numbers this year. This situation follows years of challenges in staffing these critical roles, compounded by the use of out-of-date technology.
Just last week, things got real when an anonymous air traffic controller in Newark urged travellers to steer clear of Newark Liberty International Airport. Their stark warning? “Don’t fly into Newark. Avoid Newark at all costs.” The controller stated the airport is “not safe” because over 20 percent of air traffic controllers had walked off the job, and mentioned ongoing communications issues over the past year. The tension ramped up over the weekend when air traffic controllers in Philadelphia briefly lost contact for about 30 seconds, a glitch officials put down to ageing equipment.
Another voice, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, also laid blame on Buttigieg for the air travel issues during what would be considered Trump’s second term’s oversight period. Duffy wrote on X, “Celebrating Transit Equity Day. Chairing The Equity Council. Stopping racist roads. Building bike paths. Funding studies on gender non-conforming people. This is the c**p Pete Buttigieg focused on instead of fixing the problems with Newark and our entire air traffic control system.” He added, “Buttigieg and Biden didn’t lift a finger to fix our air traffic control system.”
This is not true. In April 2024, Buttigieg requested more funds from Congress to hire additional air traffic controllers. However, with Republicans in control of the House at the time, that funding increase did not get the green light.
Meanwhile, Pete Serves Some Sauce Of His Own
While the blame game over air safety continues, Pete Buttigieg had a few choice words for Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. Why? She managed to confuse artificial intelligence (AI) with A1 steak sauce during a public address. Last month, McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., was at an education innovation summit in Arizona.
In her prepared speech, she said, “A school system that’s going to start making sure that first graders, or even pre-Ks, have A1 teaching in every year. That’s a wonderful thing.” She continued, “Kids are sponges. They just absorb everything. It wasn’t all that long ago that it was, ‘We’re going to have internet in our schools!’ Now let’s see A1 and how can that be helpful.”
Naturally, A1, the actual steak sauce brand, lapped up the unexpected publicity, posting an image to Instagram stating, “Agree, best to start them early,” alongside a picture of a bottle labelled “For education purposes only.” Cheeky.
Buttigieg, however, found the mix-up a bit more concerning. Appearing on Jen Psaki’s MSNBC show, he commented, “You’ve got the secretary of education saying we need to make sure kids are trained in something she calls ‘A1,’ which means she doesn’t understand it, that it’s AI, she doesn’t understand artificial intelligence.” He then landed the zinger: “I love A1 steak sauce, but A1 steak sauce is not one of the most important things confronting humanity right now. Artificial intelligence is. And somebody who doesn’t understand that probably should not be leading an important federal agency.”
Beyond The Banter: What Is The Big Picture?
These remarks from Buttigieg were part of a wider conversation about the future direction of the Democratic Party. He also spoke about the need for Democrats to offer a positive vision for the country, rather than solely criticising Republicans. This part of the interview has been gaining traction online. “We have got to make sure that our opposition and everything we’re against, and obviously there is a lot to be passionately against right now, but it has to travel with a clearer picture of what we are for,” Buttigieg explained.
He stressed that many voters were not swayed by purely anti-GOP messaging last year. He posed it as, “a question of making clear to everybody how your everyday life is different if we’re in charge compared to if they’re in charge. What your life could be like if wages went up like we proposed they be raised, what we would do with the money if we successfully stopped the tax cut for the wealthy?” He concluded, “We would not be in this situation if the government, the economy, and the politics of our country were healthy. They’ve been unhealthy for a long time. And if we seem like, if my party seems like it’s calling for a return to the status quo… politically it will fail.”
So, while the political theatre keeps us entertained (or exhausted), the underlying issues of infrastructure, leadership, and vision remain. One has to wonder, will the focus shift to solutions anytime soon?
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