Pete Buttigieg blasts Trump after president excoriates him during press briefing

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg fired backmost astatine President Donald Trump connected Thursday aft the commandant successful main blasted the Democrat during a property briefing astir the deadly midair collision betwixt a subject chopper and a rider airplane that occurred connected Wednesday night.

Trump sarcastically called Buttigieg "a existent winner."

"He's a disaster. He was a catastrophe arsenic a mayor. He ran his metropolis into the ground. And he's a catastrophe now. He's conscionable got a bully enactment of bulls---," the president said. 

PETE BUTTIGIEG GIVING ‘SERIOUS LOOK’ TO 2026 SENATE RUN IN TRUMP-WON MICHIGAN

Left: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during a quality league astatine the U.S. Department of Transportation office connected Sept. 27, 2023 successful Washington, D.C.; Right: President Donald Trump looks connected aft delivering remarks astatine the House Republican Members Conference Dinner astatine Trump National Doral Miami, successful Miami, Fla., connected Jan. 27, 2025. (Left: Drew Angerer/Getty Images; Right: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Buttigieg, the erstwhile South Bend, Indiana Mayor who served arsenic caput of the Transportation Department nether erstwhile President Joe Biden, sounded disconnected successful a station connected societal media.

"Despicable. As families grieve, Trump should beryllium leading, not lying. We enactment information first, drove down adjacent calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercialized hose clang fatalities retired of millions of flights connected our watch," Buttigieg declared successful a station connected X.

"President Trump present oversees the subject and the FAA. One of his archetypal acts was to occurrence and suspend immoderate of the cardinal unit who helped support our skies safe. Time for the President to amusement existent enactment and explicate what helium volition bash to forestall this from happening again," helium added.

Buttigieg mounted a statesmanlike bid successful 2019, but dropped retired the adjacent twelvemonth and endorsed Biden.

Buttigieg is reportedly "taking a superior look" astatine the anticipation of moving for U.S. Senate successful in Michigan.

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"Pete is exploring each of his options connected however helium tin beryllium adjuvant and proceed to serve," a root acquainted with Buttigieg's reasoning told Fox News Digital. "He's honored to beryllium mentioned for this, and he's taking a superior look."

Fox News Digital's Julia Johnson contributed to this report