Clinton aide responds to Buttigieg criticism of how she ran her campaign

An aide to Hillary Clinton on Saturday slammed comments made in January by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg that were critical of how Clinton ran her 2016 presidential campaign.

“This is indefensible,” Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill wrote on Twitter Saturday. “@HillaryClinton ran on a belief in this country & the most progressive platform in modern political history. Trump ran on pessimism, racism, false promises, & vitriol. Interpret that how you want, but there are 66,000,000 people who disagree. Good luck.”

This is indefensible. @HillaryClinton ran on a belief in this country & the most progressive platform in modern political history. Trump ran on pessimism, racism, false promises, & vitriol. Interpret that how you want, but there are 66,000,000 people who disagree. Good luck. https://t.co/N3yRgHPVDL

— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) March 30, 2019

Buttigieg knocked Clinton in an interview with The Washington Post Magazine that was published Jan. 14. 

{mosads}“Donald Trump got elected because, in his twisted way, he pointed out the huge troubles in our economy and our democracy,” he told the outlet in the interview. “At least he didn’t go around saying that America was already great, like Hillary did.”

The article, titled “Could Pete Buttigieg Become the First Millennial President?” was published a little more than a week before the Indiana mayor announced he was forming an exploratory committee to run for president.

The relatively unknown Democrat has emerged as a serious contender for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination in recent weeks.

Buttigieg has drawn fans as the star of a few viral moments, most recently when he was asked by a Norwegian outlet to speak their language. The polyglot speaks seven languages in addition to English: Norwegian, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Maltese and Dari.  

If elected, the millennial Midwestern mayor would be the youngest and first openly gay president in U.S. history.