Though California Gov. Gavin Newsom has emerged as the most vocal and visible potential 2028 Democrat presidential candidate, there are many others out there who continue to put out feelers and burnish their TDS creds, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
Former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is also reportedly considering a presidential run, with an upcoming town hall he has scheduled in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on November 18th, only adding fuel to the speculation surrounding his future political ambitions.
"Buttigieg, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020 and is considered a potential 2028 Democratic candidate, is characterizing the event as a response to the Trump administration's policies," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Friday, while noting that he'll be campaigning against GOP Rep. Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), who is up for reelection in 2026.
SEE ALSO: Pete Buttigieg Implicated in Washington National Air Traffic Control Scandal
With Congress seeming to move closer to finally ending the Schumer Shutdown, President Trump had a message for air traffic controllers who were calling in sick, letting them know he was not amused and suggesting that repercussions might be in order.
President Trump is slamming U.S. air traffic controllers who called out of work during the government shutdown, during which they were forced to stay on the job without pay.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social Monday morning that he was "NOT HAPPY" with controllers who took time off. "All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn't will be substantially 'docked,'" he wrote.
Trump's criticism prompted Buttigieg to take a swipe at Trump on X, alleging he has treated ATCs poorly since "Day One" and has "no business" putting them on blast now:
The President wouldn't last five minutes as an air traffic controller, and after everything they've been through - and the way this administration has treated them from Day One - he has no business s******g on them now.
This prompted a short, simple, and to-the-point response from Trump Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who reminded Buttigieg that he is constantly having to clean up the messes he left, and suggested he sit this debate out:
Give me a break. You were basically AWOL at the DOT.⁰⁰I spend my whole day dealing with your neglect and cleaning up your messes. Sit this one out. https://t.co/DPptdJ3wOm
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 10, 2025
We've extensively documented Buttigieg's myriad failures as DOT Secretary, with my RedState colleague Bob Hoge, for instance, laying out some of the receipts, noting how "he talked plenty about 'racist roads,' but couldn’t be bothered to visit East Palestine, Ohio, for weeks after a disastrous chemical spill; he oversaw an EV charging station project that burned through billions but produced a miniscule amount of stations; and he went on paternity leave during the height of the 2021 supply chain crisis."
And perhaps more than any other cabinet secretary, Duffy has made it a point to call out his predecessor by name, responding to his criticisms by putting them back on Buttigieg, as he did in February amid misinformation in the press about FAA "firings."
There have also been the social media messaging wars, another area where Duffy has excelled:
Biden and Buttigieg spent more time changing the name of the cockpit to flight deck than fixing our air traffic control infrastructure.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 12, 2025
No more. @POTUS and I will fix it. pic.twitter.com/C0YrXxuxx3
As I've said before, where "Mayor Pete" keeps trying to lay the tracks for a possible 2028 run, Duffy derails him at every turn by saying his name and laying out the inconvenient facts. If Buttigieg's potential 2028 run is as unsuccessful as his 2020 one was, we might have Duffy in part to thank for it.
Editor’s Note: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Senate Dems have finally caved. The Schumer Shutdown was never about principle—just inflicting pain for political points.
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