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Opinion|Pete Buttigieg on Rebuilding America After Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/opinion/next-american-story-pete-buttigieg.html
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The Opinions
The former transportation secretary argues Americans need a new sense of belonging.
Oct. 14, 2025, 5:01 a.m. ET
Pete Buttigieg has a clear vision of where his party lost its way. Now Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary, wants to use those lessons to shape the Democratic Party of the future and America’s next story.
“Sooner or later, one day Donald Trump will not be active in American politics. And the sooner we spend our energy thinking about what to do next, I actually think the sooner that day will come,” he tells David Leonhardt, an editorial director in Times Opinion. In this conversation, Buttigieg explains why DOGE’s destruction of government institutions may be an opportunity for Democrats and what working to revive his hometown taught him about the threats we face from artificial intelligence.
Pete Buttigieg on Rebuilding America After Trump
The former transportation secretary argues Americans need a new sense of belonging.
Below is a transcript of an episode of “The Opinions.” We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
David Leonhardt: Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining me today.
Pete Buttigieg: Thanks for having me. Good to be with you.
Leonhardt: Before we get to your thoughts about the next American story, I want to talk a little bit about you. I know your husband, Chasten, is from Traverse City in northern Michigan. Can you talk a little bit about your decision to move back there rather than back to Indiana?
