Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently joined ‘America Reports’ to offer his views on President Donald Trump’s decisions regarding Iran. He explored the implications these decisions might have on foreign policy and national security. Buttigieg also commented on the current state of political institutions in the United States, discussing democratic norms, power dynamics, and the government’s role in handling both domestic and international issues.

Buttigieg, who may be a candidate in 2028, received criticism from a former RNC chairman for not distancing himself from the rising socialist segment within the Democratic Party. Instead, Buttigieg identified himself as a ‘Buttigieg Democrat,’ declining to engage directly with questions about policies supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), such as the abolition of the Senate and stopping deportations. Instead, he criticized President Trump’s economic and foreign policy records.

Look, there’s always going to be some people in my party who go too far for me, people I disagree with. If you pick the five or 10 or 15 furthest-left people in our party, they’re going to, by definition, disagree with a lot of others. But there’s so much that we do, in fact, agree on, Buttigieg stated.

Buttigieg remarked on the appeal of candidates promising significant change, noting that the system’s age is evident, and it’s failing people. A recent University of New Hampshire poll showed Buttigieg tied with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a potential 2028 election match-up. Ocasio-Cortez responded to DSA proposals like abolishing the Senate, describing it as a ‘constitutional question’ while acknowledging people’s complaints.

When asked about his place on the Democratic spectrum, Buttigieg didn’t align with traditional labels.

I’m a Pete Buttigieg Democrat. I think I’m a common-sense Democrat, but of course, everybody thinks that their ideas are common sense to them, he said.

Fox News political analyst Reince Priebus critiqued Buttigieg for not addressing the socialist wing within his party. Priebus suggested that mainstream Democrats are aligning with elements not considered mainstream.

The opponent, the Democrats from where Pete Buttigieg is at, is aligning itself with people that are far outside the mainstream. They’re on the wrong side of normal, and he didn’t really address that when he was pressed, Priebus commented.

These comments follow recent wins by Democratic socialists in key primary elections in New York and Colorado. For instance, Melat Kiros, supported by the DSA, defeated long-serving Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette. Additionally, a group of far-left candidates succeeded in New York, aided by support from New York City’s Democratic socialist mayor.

Despite growing speculation, Buttigieg stated he is not running for president.

I’m not running for anything. I’m helping people who are because this is a very important election where people are seeing that their everyday lives—from the price of gas to healthcare, is on the line, he emphasized.

Madison Colombo, a writer for Fox News Digital, contributed to this report covering daily breaking news and trending topics.