The Midwest can steer American industrialization and innovation as concerns about the economy surge, according to former U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Democratic party cohorts.
"America has a lot to learn from the cities of the industrial Midwest, cities that we were proud to invest in during my time in the administration, cities that have, though, not waited for salvation to come from Washington," Buttigieg said on a stop at Karamu House Theatre on Cleveland's East Side Thursday afternoon. "And with everything going on in Washington right now, I actually believe that for our country, our political and policy salvation will come from the local."
Buttigieg, whom many political insiders view as a possible 2028 presidential contender, said trust among constituents is more important now than ever. is about the lowest it has been in seven decades. Buttigieg said that begins on the local level with leaders like Bibb.
"I think mayors live in a world of the real," Buttigieg said. "As you know, if there's a hole in the road, you don't get to say, 'That's fake news. It's the best road ever. There's no holes in it.' It's because people know, and they will find a way to let you know."
Buttigieg first rose to national prominence during his 2020 presidential bid, after serving as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Though he failed to clinch the Democratic nomination, former President Joe Biden tapped him for a spot in his administration.
"I want to applaud the work that you're doing, because the federal level ... has a much longer way to go than the local level in establishing healthier trust," Buttigieg said to Bibb.
Bibb and Buttigieg seemingly have much in common. They're close in age, "elder millennials," as Bibb called them, and have both been at the helm of once-booming Rust Belt cities experiencing economic downturn decades after the industrial collapse.
In his second term, Bibb has coined the mantra "the Cleveland era." He uses the phrase to refer to the city's "resilience" and what he says is an impending comeback for a city that has lost hundreds of thousands of residents since the 1950s. Citing his , fueled by American Rescue Plan Act dollars allocated under Biden's administration, Bibb said the city is prepared to lead the rest of the country in an industrialization boom.
Buttigieg agreed the Midwest will be vital to the country as a .
"The Great Lakes are only going to grow in importance as both the industrial profile of our country and the nature of our climate continue to shift," Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg said the nation needs to take a page from Midwesterners when it comes to dealing an ever-changing economy and working together through tough times.
"I think we have a readiness to really do what it takes to get to a better place," he said. "It's not just grim determination. It's this special sense of reward that comes from seeing this place that had been down and out or counted out and seeing it rise."
Buttigieg has been traveling the country to advocate for Democrats running for office.
recently placed Buttigieg in first place for New Hampshire's Democratic Presidential Primary. The University of New Hampshire survey shows California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tied for second.
