Pete Buttigieg says Republican remarks claiming Kamala Harris to be 'DEI hire' would backfire on GOP

WASHINGTON, DC: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg addressed the criticisms aimed at Vice President Kamala Harris, asserting that these attacks, which claim she was hired due to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, reflect poorly on Republicans.

Buttigieg made these remarks during an episode of The New York Times 'The Interview' podcast with Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

Pete Buttigieg says Republicans embarrass themselves by calling Kamala Harris DEI hire 

Pete Buttigieg, who is considered a potential running mate for Kamala Harris in a future Democratic ticket, argued that the attacks would likely backfire on the GOP.

The transportation secretary highlighted that even conservative figures within the GOP, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, have advised their party members to avoid such rhetoric.

“Well, I do think that those attacks have been a bad look for Republicans,” Buttigieg said as The Hill noted.

“And, you can tell because, when you got somebody like [House Speaker] Mike Johnson (R-La), who is a very, very conservative figure, right, the Speaker of the House, telling his own caucus, like, ‘Hey, cool it,’ he’s basically saying that they are embarrassing the party, and I think acknowledging that they are diminishing the party’s chances by indulging in that kind of rhetoric," he stated.

Pete Buttigieg says DEI attacks on Kamala Harris reveal lack of substantive policies among Republicans 

Pete Buttigieg also pointed out that these attacks reveal a lack of substantive policies from the Republicans.

“And the fact that they can’t think of what else to do, besides go right to race and gender, isn’t just revealing about some of the ugliest undercurrents in today’s Republican Party, it’s also just profoundly unimaginative, because it means that they can’t speak to how any of this is going to make people’s lives better, in other words, certainly not [former President] Trump’s campaign or Trump’s party,” he said.

Earlier in the week, Johnson addressed the issue during a press conference, stating that the upcoming election should focus on policies rather than personalities.

“This isn’t personal with regard to Kamala Harris,” Johnson said. “Her ethnicity, her gender, has nothing to do with this whatsoever.”

Rep Tim Burchett (R-Tenn), who previously labeled Harris as a “DEI hire,” expressed regret over his comment but stood by his belief. “I regretted calling her that, but it was the truth,” Burchett said.

Internet reacts to Pete Buttigieg's comments on GOP's DEI claim on Kamala Harris 

Netizens criticized Pete Buttigieg's comments, with some pointing out the perceived irony.

One user on X (formerly Twitter) quipped, "But DEI was supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread?"

Another commented, "Ironic, coming from her fellow DEI hire."

Others echoed similar sentiments, mentioning Biden's commitment to selecting a Black woman as his vice president was the initiation of Harris being a DEI hire.

"Biden said he picked Kamala Harris because he committed to picking a V.P. who was a Black woman. He said it first. Blame Biden. And, I thought DEI was a good thing," wrote one user.

Another pointed to Buttigieg’s position, saying, "Lol, Pete is a DEI superstar."

One more wrote, "He was a DEI hire too. They're both unqualified and catastrophic failures."

"Buttigieg is such an unserious person," read another tweet.

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