In an interview that US President Donald Trump gave to Fox News host Sean Hannity he spoke about his potential Democratic challengers in the 2020 election, and surprisingly expressed support for Democratic candidate Peter Buttigieg, the 37-year-old presidential hopeful of Maltese descent.
But Trump also added that he thinks Buttigieg “is not going to make it”.
Near the end of their 45-minute interview, Trump offered thoughts about the Democratic contenders for 2020, former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Beto O’Rourke, California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
He called Biden “Sleepy Joe”, said Sanders “talks a lot and doesn’t get it done,” predicted O’Rourke will soon “be a thing of the past” and said Harris has “nasty wit” and when he came to Buttigieg, whose father is Maltese, he said that although he thinks Buttigieg “is not going to make it,” he said he’s “rooting for” the 37-year-old South Bend, Indiana, mayor.
This is the second time Trump has mentioned Buttigieg since he declared his 2020 candidacy. Three days after Buttigieg made his run official, Trump mentioned him in an interview with conservative talk show host David Webb on Sirius XM.
Here he had said that he doesn’t exclude that in 2020 Buttigieg could be his potential challenger. “I think I’d like running against him, too. But it will be very interesting to see it unfold.”
Democratic candidate Peter Buttigieg, the 37-year-old American presidential hopeful of Maltese descent.
Buttigieg has been trending upward in recent presidential polls. A March 28 poll from Quinnipiac University showed Buttigieg was the top choice for 4% of Democrats surveyed. An Emerson Iowa Poll, also from March, showed he had the support of 11 percent of Democrats surveyed, just behind Sanders and Biden.
His exploratory committee raised $7 million in the first three months of 2019 — less than Sanders and Biden, but more than other prominent Democrats, including U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren.
