Pete Buttigieg trolled for dismissing rising DC violent crime

Social media erupted with criticism after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg claimed he felt safe enough in his Washington, D.C. neighborhood to walk his dog to the U.S. Capitol. Buttigieg attempted to downplay rising crime in the nation’s capital and said he has seen violent crime decrease since living in D.C.

But 2023 saw the largest-ever crime stats in the District with a whopping 39 percent uptick in violent crime from the year prior and an overall 26 percent increase. ‘We need to talk about the reality here. There’s a lot of funding and a lot of energy going into telling a different story in news outlets and online,’ Buttigieg said on Sunday when speaking about crime in the city with MSNBC host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

‘But the simple facts and the simple reality are right here staring us in the face, including the fact I can safely walk my dog to the Capitol today in a way you couldn’t do when we all got here,’ the chief at the Department of Transportation added.

Just an hour after Buttigieg’s interview with Psaki, a man was stabbed and robbed while walking his dog about a mile from the U.S. Capitol in the opposite direction of where Buttigieg lives and likely takes his route with his dog.

Buttigieg lives with his husband and adopted twin toddlers in Eastern Market, a neighborhood about a mile from the U.S. Capitol and a mile in the other direction to the Navy Yard neighborhood where he goes to work every day at DOT. Both Eastern Market and Navy Yard have seen an exponential increase in violent crime and carjackings in recent years despite many lawmakers, staffers and politicians living in these expensive enclaves of the city.

Users on X, formerly Twitter, tore into the Transportation secretary, claiming he is out of touch and saying he felt safe because of his security detail. ‘I’m sure he does [feel safe], WITH HIS SECURITY DETAIL,’ a user with more than 103,000 followers wrote on X. ‘Guy thinks we’re stupid.’

RNC Research account clipped Buttigieg’s comments and posted about his security detail and the 20-year high D.C. crime rates, which surpassed spikes in all other major U.S. cities. Another critic wrote: ‘He cannot be this stupid, can he?’

The U.S. Secret Service is tasked with providing 24/7 protection for the president and vice president, as well as the immediate families of those individuals. They are also responsible for providing protection for specific Cabinet officials, including the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Defense and the Treasury.

With Transportation Secretary 14th in line for presidential succession, it’s less likely Buttigieg is receiving round-the-clock security from the Secret Service. But previous reports suggest he was at one point receiving outside security due to heightened threats after his run for president in 2020 and becoming the first openly gay Cabinet secretary.

Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.