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Fact Check: Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, urged Americans to raise their voices against what he described as Trump's authoritarianism.

Fact Check: Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, urged Americans to raise their voices against what he described as Trump's authoritarianism.

Published June 16, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
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# Fact Check: Pete Buttigieg Urges Americans to Raise Voices Against Trump's Authoritarianism ## What We Know Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Secreta...

Fact Check: Pete Buttigieg Urges Americans to Raise Voices Against Trump's Authoritarianism

What We Know

Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. Secretary of Transportation, has made statements urging Americans to actively oppose what he characterizes as authoritarianism under Donald Trump. During a recent event, Buttigieg emphasized the importance of civic engagement, stating, “If you talk to people who live in actual authoritarian environments... it’s the indifference that makes it possible for people like that to do what they do” (source-2). He articulated that Americans must not "check out" and instead should raise their voices against such governance.

In a separate incident involving U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Buttigieg condemned the actions of Trump officials who physically restrained Padilla while he attempted to ask a question during a press conference. Buttigieg remarked, “What are we supposed to do about that? ... we name what just happened, which is that the Trump government has crossed one of the reddest of red lines that can exist in a free society” (source-3). He urged Americans to raise their voices “like never before” in response to such actions (source-5).

Analysis

The claim that Buttigieg urged Americans to raise their voices against Trump's authoritarianism is supported by multiple statements he made during public events. His comments reflect a consistent theme among Democrats who express concern over what they perceive as authoritarian practices by the Trump administration. The context of his remarks, particularly during the Together for Democracy conference, reinforces his call for civic engagement as a counter to perceived authoritarianism (source-2).

The reliability of the sources reporting on Buttigieg's statements is generally high, as they come from established news outlets and direct quotes from Buttigieg himself. For instance, the Advocate and Yahoo News articles provide direct quotes and context for his remarks, making them credible sources for understanding his position.

However, it is important to note that the framing of Buttigieg's statements can vary depending on the outlet, with some emphasizing the urgency of his message more than others. Nonetheless, the core message remains consistent across sources: Buttigieg is indeed advocating for Americans to actively oppose what he views as authoritarianism.

Conclusion

The claim that Pete Buttigieg urged Americans to raise their voices against Trump's authoritarianism is True. His statements, made during public appearances and in response to specific incidents involving government officials, clearly reflect his concerns about authoritarian practices and his call for civic engagement. The evidence from reliable sources supports this conclusion.

Sources

  1. 塑料杯的杯底上的PETE 或PET 是什么意思 - 百度知道
  2. Pay attention to the victories against Trump, Buttigieg advises
  3. Pete Buttigieg blasts Trump admin over Padilla-Noem ...
  4. Buttigieg & Colbert skewer Trump about joint session speech - Advocate.com
  5. Pete Buttigieg outraged Trump admin crossed ‘reddest of red lines’
  6. 塑料杯子下面，三角形中间的7是什么意思？ - 百度知道
  7. Pete Buttigieg praised for his take on whether Donald Trump is a ...
  8. Pete Buttigieg slams President Trump at Iowa town hall

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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. 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