Is the Kid Getting Cocky? Pete Buttigieg Boasts That Donald Trump 'Can't Figure Out What to Do With' Him. I'm Bettin' He's Got Ideas

Democratic presidential candidate South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign rally, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Indianola, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Is Iowa-winning Pete Buttigieg getting the big head?

On Tuesday — while waiting to find out what New Hampshire has to say about him, the baby-faced former mayor of South Bend, Indiana claimed that Donald Trump can’t “figure out what to do with [him].”

That is, the President who’ll be facing off with the Democratic nominee, beginning September 29th.

Would Pete be a substantial threat on that stage? Or would — as in the case of Elizabeth Warren — Trump eat Pete like so many Chips Ahoys by a hangry Cookie Monster?

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During an interview on NBC’s Today Show, Buttigieg threw out what appeared to be quite the boast:

“I don’t think he can figure out what to do with me, and that’s fine by me. I’m not that focused on this president’s approach because they always do the same thing. He’s going to find a vulnerability, and if he can’t, he’ll make one up.”

Han Solo may have a thing or two to say about that:

Pete also said he’s at a disadvantage — he doesn’t have the deep pockets of some:

“I don’t have billions of dollars to put on the air waves. We have to earn every vote going through the process, beginning in the early states, where you show versus tell.”

So how’s he showing so far?

Pete took Iowa, but Monday polls had him trailing Bernie by 6 or 7 points in NH (here).

As for the White House, even without Trump in the way, could Buttigieg get the gig? He’s quite the youngster, and his time as mayor hasn’t been exactly praised as a triumph: You know it’s bad when you have Black Lives Matter coming from Los Angeles to stand you down — and you’re a Democrat (here).

His competition, of course, is well aware of the age issue: Bernie is refusing to release his medical records (here), while at the last debate, he got raked over his inexperience.

From The Daily Mail:

Buttigieg was the main punching bag for other Democrats at Friday night’s debate in Manchester. Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar teamed up to hit him on his lack of experience – the former South Bend mayor has never held national office – and Bernie Sanders knocked him for taking donations from wealthy contributors.

At times during the debate, Buttigieg – a Rhodes scholar who speaks seven languages – looked shocked to be under going the kind of criticism he probably rarely has heard from adults in the room.

But the kid seemed confident at Thursday’s town hall:

“So to me, the best use of that big blue-and-white airplane that comes with the Oval Office that the president uses mostly for the purpose of traveling among golf courses with his name on them — I don’t even golf so that’s not going to be how I use that airplane. I’m going to use that airplane to go directly into the backyard of senators who are not just defying my White House but defying their own voters, their own constituents, and require them to explain to the people who sent them to Washington why they refuse to enact the basic legislation that meets the expectation of their own voters.”

Ballsy.

Even still, as for not knowing what to do with him, I’m betting Donald Trump has an idea: