Buttigieg tweets praise of Obama after misquote
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and 2020 presidential candidate, sought to clarify his views on the administration of former President Barack Obama Monday after facing criticism for a since-corrected report in which he appeared to refer to the “failures” of that administration.
On Twitter, Buttigieg said that his “appreciation of the great leadership of Barack Obama comes from a very personal place.”
The original article, published by the Los Angeles Times, includ- ed a Buttigieg quote that seemed to blame Obama for the election of President Donald Trump.
It was corrected on Monday with the accurate quote: “I think the failures of the old normal help explain how we got Trump.”
On Twitter, the reporter who wrote the article said the mistake happened because the comment by Buttigieg happened with a noisy background, causing the reporter to mishear the recording while transcribing at a rally.
“I deeply regret the mistake When we make errors we own them. This one really hurts because it went viral,” journalist Evan Halper said.
Buttigieg said he appreciates the reporter’s “swift and honest correction.”
In an interview with NBC News on Monday, Buttigieg expanded on his reaction to the correction and praised Obama further.
“The reality is, despite what this president says, journalists take their obligation very seriously to make sure everything they print is accurate, and you saw that in how quickly that correction took place,” Buttigieg said.
“The achievements of the Obama administration affected me personally in many ways, including the ability to serve openly, and I’m an admirer of President Obama,” he added. Buttigieg, a veteran, came out as gay in 2015. The military’s official “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay people serving in the armed forces was ended by Obama.