Impeachment of President Donald Trump dominated discussion as 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was the special guest at a Queens Democratic Party Organization political fireside chat at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City with NY1 anchor Cheryl Wills serving up hot button questions.
“What’s disappointing is that we know there are a lot of senators – Republican senators who are horrified by the corruption, by the self-dealing, by the dishonesty – but while they are horrified by that as people – they as politicians are terrified of getting crossed by the president,” said Buttigieg. “It’s been clear for some that he should be impeached.”
Buttigieg sees the American people getting tired of having a president that is constantly flouting “the rule of law.”
The Queens County Democratic Party organized the event. Photo by Naeisha Rose.
Wills later asked Buttigieg if impeaching Trump would create blowback with the president’s base.
“I think that his base is what it is,” Buttigieg said jokingly. “If you are with him now, what else could possibly come along?”
However, Buttigieg, who was on conservative Fox News earlier this month, does believe it is possible for Democratic candidates to still reach some people that previously voted for Trump.
“I’m talking about people – people from where I live in South Bend, Indiana, where there are a lot of people that voted for Barack Obama and Donald Trump and Gov. Mike Pence and me,” said Buttigieg. “Which means they are really not about party loyalty – they really voted to burn the house down and that’s what we got, but I think that if they got the right alternative and a focus on how we could make their lives better then there is an opportunity for a lot of those people to come back to their prior mode of voting Democrat.”
Buttigieg’s appearance at LaGuardia was the kickoff of Queens Democrat Chair Gregory Meeks’ series of fireside chats with different Democratic 2020 presidential candidates, which he plans on having at different public colleges throughout the borough.
This was the kickoff of Queens Democrat Chair Gregory Meeks’ series of fireside chats. Photo by Naeisha Rose.
“Queens is the most diverse county in the country, where presidential candidates have the unique opportunity of speaking to a more representative crowd about their vision for the nation,” said Meeks.
“We were happy to welcome Mayor Pete, and give members of the community a better idea of who he is as a person and what policies he’d prioritize. I look forward to bringing the next Presidential candidate to Queens for another in our series of fireside chats,” he added.
Meeks, however, played it close to the vest when asked if he would support the city’s hometown presidential candidate Mayor Bill de Blasio, who threw his hat in the ring last week joining 22 other Democratic hopefuls vying to unseat Trump for the presidency.
“The amount of candidates entering the race is a strong indication of how energized Democrats are about 2020, and both Mayor Pete and Mayor de Blasio will have to make their case to the American public as to why their vision for America is the right choice,” said Meeks.
“Though I have not yet endorsed any candidate, there is still plenty of time for candidates to let voters get to know them and speak to the issues before we can see what and who resonates best,” he added.
