Pete Buttigieg's urge for hope met with silence draws comparisons with Jeb Bush's similar blunder from 2016
It is a good time for Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg to campaign hard since some of his opponents will be busy with the ongoing impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the Senate. One of the contenders in the top five, the former South End mayor will see some of his prime opponents like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar besides Michael Bennet remaining absent in Iowa as they are sitting senators.
According to a poll that came out less than two weeks ahead of the first caucuses, Buttigieg is among the top three, trailing only Joe Biden and Warren.
Yet, Buttigieg -- the youngest candidate in the fray -- has to cover some distance to be at the top. On Tuesday, January 21, the 38-year-old had to ask his audience to clap for him at a campaign event in the Hawkeye State. It so happened that Buttigieg asked the members to lend him ears on whether he could bank on them to spread the sense of hope to people they know. However, there was no response to his words as people remained silent. The Democratic candidate then said “Come on!” smilingly, with his arms moving to shake up the audience and they started clapping.
Buttigieg compared to Jeb Bush who did something similar in 2016
As soon as Buttigieg’s awkward encounter with the supporters went viral, people came up with an analogy and it featured Florida's former Republican governor Jeb Bush during the 2016 presidential race. On that occasion, Bush pleaded his audience to clap after his words sparked little to no excitement. His campaign had not lasted long in a race that was dominated by Donald Trump who went on to win the election that year.
Other polls showed Buttigieg was ranked fourth behind Biden, Sanders, and Warren in the run-up to the Iowa battle on February 3.