AMES, Iowa — South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is 37 years old. He's a Democrat. He's a veteran of Afghanistan and a Rhodes Scholar.So he figures now is the time to run for president.In a field where people are mostly talking about candidates in their late 60s (like Sen. Elizabeth Warren) or even late 70s (Sen. Bernie Sanders or former vice president Joe Biden) Buttigieg stands out.He doesn't say those candidates are too old to be president, but he does say age matters. Millennials are going to be around far longer than the remaining baby boomers, he says, so the problems of climate change and economic disparity are far more relevant to them."Some people think all there is to us is avocado toast or eating Tide Pods or whatever they're saying about us," said Buttigieg (pronunced boo-di-jedge). "But we’re the generation with the most at stake. Our asses were out there in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I think we’ve earned place in this conversation."Buttigieg's campaign is a longshot. But he's making a good impression in public appearances. VICE News followed Buttigieg on his first day of campaigning in Iowa.This segment originally aired March 5, 2019, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.
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Mayor Pete Buttigieg doesn't think he's too young to be president
Millennials are going to be around far longer than the remaining baby boomers, he says, so the problems of climate change and economic disparity are far more relevant to them.