U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg makes a stop in Grand Rapids while campaigning for Hillary Scholten ahead of the Nov. 8th election Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at the headquarters for the Kent County Democrats.
Pete Buttigieg, the outgoing Secretary of Transportation and the Biden administration’s most outgoing Cabinet member, demonstrated his estimable political skills and flight attending facility all in the same generous gesture over the weekend when he handed out snacks to passengers during a flight delay on the way from Chicago to Traverse City, Michigan.
Buttigieg “spontaneously grabbed the snack basket and began offering snacks to each guest,” posted passenger Sam Harris, along with video of Buttigieg at work while the plane was stuck on the tarmac.
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“It was another frustrating experience with air travel in the U.S. but Secretary Buttigieg did what he could to help the situation in the moment,” Harris told Storyful.
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Harris said the on-duty flight attendant couldn’t leave his post at the front of the plane during fueling operations, so after multiple announcements asking passengers to help themselves to food and drinks, Buttigieg jumped in to do it for them.
“Yes, he made it down the aisle of the entire plane,” Harris said. “When the basket was empty, he returned for a second trip to make sure he included all passengers. He smiled and made small talk along the way.”
“Everyone appreciated the gesture,” Harris posted.
The flight eventually made its way to Michigan — where Buttigieg shares a home in his adopted state with husband Chasten and their two toddlers — after an hour-and-a-half delay.
Buttigieg leaves office in January after an eventful run as the nation’s top transportation official. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and rival to President Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary took heat over massive travel delays over the holidays in 2022.
In 2023, Buttigieg came under criticism for the Palestine, Ohio train derailment, which was plagued by poor communication between state and federal agencies as the rail cars burned and local residents were evacuated.
Over his four-year tenure, Buttigieg earned praise as one of the Biden administration’s most effective advocates. His frequent appearances on Fox News earned him the nickname “Slayer Pete.”
Buttigieg has been floated as a possible Democratic successor to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Witmer, whose term ends in 2026.
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