A New York Times journalist challenged Buttigieg on his work at McKinsey. Buttigieg called the premise 'bulls--t.'
Pete Buttigieg's interview with The New York Times got a little bumpy.
The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor sat down with the Times as part of the outlet's series on Democratic presidential candidates. Buttigieg's interview largely went as one would expect — he defended his choice to work at McKinsey, argued he could rally support from black voters, and outlined his stance on issues ranging from climate change to abortion.
But things got a little tense when one Times editorial board member asserted Buttigieg had "been on the front lines of corporate price fixing" by way of his consulting for Loblaws grocery stores while at McKinsey. Loblaws later admitted it had been fixing prices on bread for years.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Whoa, whoa whoa, that's, that's, I'm sorry, that's —" said Buttigieg in response to the claim. "The proposition that I've been on front lines of corporate price fixing is bullshit. Just to get that out of the way."
"You worked for a company that was fixing bread prices," said the Times board member, Binyamin Appelbaum. "No, I worked for a consulting company that had a client that may have been involved in fixing or was apparently in a scandal. I was not aware of the Canadian bread pricing scandal until last night," he responded.
The conversation hit another snag when a Times writer said Buttigieg used to support abolishing the Electoral College, but hasn't talked about it in a while.
"So, that's false, and I reject any reporting, some of which I've seen, I believe some of it coming from this building, that suggests that I backed away from it," said the former mayor. "I talk about it in virtually every stump speech that I give."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
For his final curveball question, Buttigieg was asked what he's "most likely to fail at" as president. His answer? He "might get canceled" by haters on Twitter. Read the full interview at The New York Times.
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
The great global copper swindleUnder the Radar Rising prices and easy access makes the metal a ‘more attractive target for criminals looking for a quick profit’
-
‘They’re nervous about playing the game’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will Netanyahu get a pardon?Today's Big Question Opponents say yes, if he steps down
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
Canada joins EU’s $170B SAFE defense fundspeed read This makes it the first non-European Union country in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says
