Trevor Noah confronts Pete Buttigieg over his ‘white male privilege’
Trevor Noah confronts Pete Buttigieg over his “white male privilege” (The Daily Show).
Trevor Noah has confronted presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg about his “white male privilege.”
On Monday’s (April 20) episode of The Daily Show, Noah candidly asked the openly gay politician about the level of coverage he is receiving. “Some people have said you’re benefiting from white male privilege,” Noah said, “candidates with different skin colours wouldn’t get the same coverage.”
The mayor of South Bend in Indiana, Buttigieg, 37, responded, “I’d like to believe it’s my qualities and my message,” before acknowledging one of the traits of white male privilege is taking such things for granted, of which he tries to be mindful.
‘Harder for candidates of colour or female candidates’
During the interview, Buttigieg said he constantly tries to “check himself” and “understand the factors that try and explain why things are going so well.”
The 37-year-old politician added: “I do think it’s simply harder for candidates of colour or female candidates; I’m very mindful of that,”
“We’re having a good moment,” Buttigieg said of his campaign, in which he’s currently polling at third, leapfrogging over other candidates already in Washington and more widely known to voters.
“I am under no illusion it’s going to stay like this indefinitely,” Buttigieg continued, accusing the media of pushing candidates “into lanes, where they fit there or not.”
“I do think it’s simply harder for candidates of color or female candidates, I’m very mindful of that.”@petebuttigieg talks white privilege tonight at 11/10c. pic.twitter.com/om21y7SoOT
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) 30 April 2019
‘Pete Buttigieg is going to have a black and Latinx problem’
During a CNN town hall on Aprill 22, Buttigieg raised eyebrows in certain communities after saying people shouldn’t be allowed to vote while incarcerated.
Earlier in his interview fellow Democrat, Bernie Sanders, argued that prisoners should be able to vote, while Kamala Harris didn’t oppose Sanders’ argument, saying that “we can have that conversation.”
Pete Buttigieg speaks beside husband Chasten at the West Side Democratic Club. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty)
Buttigieg said, “While incarcerated? No, I don’t think so.”
Buttigieg’s comments went viral after a Twitter user posted a video of one woman’s shocked reaction to the comments.
Pete Buttigeig: People shouldn’t be able to vote while incarcerated.
Young woman, top right:#truestory #CNNTownHall pic.twitter.com/nXpoAGKXge
— Ali Harb (@Harbpeace) 23 April 2019
Twitter users then piled in on the social media thread, many disagreeing with Buttigieg’s point of view.
Another said: “Pete, I feel, is going to have a black and Latinx problem pretty soon. I don’t see him really addressing issues important to us in a significant way.”
Pete Buttigieg has polled at third place
Buttigieg has polled in third place in two new US election polls, with one putting him ahead of former Vice President Joe Biden.
A straw poll from the political action group Democracy for America (DFA), taken between April 1 and 19, put Buttigieg in third place with about 10 percent of the vote, fractionally behind Elizabeth Warren (11 percent) but ahead of Biden (8 percent).
Both Buttigieg and Warren trailed veteran senator Bernie Sanders who commanded 42 percent of the vote, according to Politico.
