Buttigieg Talks Free Speech, Takes Aim At Trump In NH

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

In 2020, Pete Buttigieg came to New Hampshire hoping to make history by becoming the first openly gay presidential nominee of a major party.

On Monday, the former transportation secretary was in town to talk about history—specifically, the history of free speech and dissent. He also threw some elbows at President Donald Trump along the way, a sign he’s seriously considering another White House run in 2028.

Buttigieg spoke at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications’ annual First Amendment Awards event at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College.

“I do take a dim view of this week’s news of the White House ejecting entire news organizations it dislikes,” Buttigieg told the crowd. “Not to mention the broader pattern in which independent institutions, from late-night television comedy to the Smithsonian, have come under attack for failing to conform to the preferred ideological frameworks of the people running for government.”

“That should outrage Americans right, left, and center.”

Trump recently barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House complex, accusing the news organizations of repeatedly producing unfair and inaccurate coverage. Reporters from the three outlets had their credentials deactivated or confiscated.

CNN, MS NOW, Politico, and three of their reporters have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the administration retaliated against them for their coverage and revoked their credentials without due process. The White House Correspondents’ Association and five major television networks, including Fox News, condemned the ban. The television networks also suspended their pooled video coverage in protest.

Additioanlly, Buttigieg criticized Trump and the Justice Department over their treatment of the group of Democratic lawmakers sometimes called the “Seditious Six,” including U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.

The six lawmakers—all military veterans or former intelligence officials—appeared in a November 2025 video reminding military members that they must follow lawful orders but should refuse illegal ones. Trump accused them of “seditious behavior,” called for them to be arrested, and said their conduct was potentially punishable by death.

The Trump administration subsequently sought indictments against the six. A Washington grand jury declined to bring charges.

“Leadership matters, and I don’t just mean the presidency,” Buttigieg said. “When there is an attempt to arrest and prosecute members of Congress, including an attempt to arrest and prosecute New Hampshire’s own Maggie Goodlander for what they had to say, after something like that, I believe anyone seeking office in Congress must be on the record about whether they think such attempted prosecution was acceptable or whether they agreed that it was unacceptable. That, too, in my view, is not partisan.”

The speech ranged from the nation’s founding to current events, and it was well received, said Neil Levesque, executive director of the NHIOP.

“He was very good, and he gave a smart speech—mentioning John McCain was very smart—and it was clear he had spent a lot of time crafting it.”

“One of the more thrilling political stories of my lifetime was the victory of John McCain in the New Hampshire Republican primary of 2000,” Buttigieg said. “Granite Staters heard his call for campaign finance reform, and the people of this freedom-loving state—more specifically, the Republican primary electorate of this freedom-loving state—understood that unfettered corporate spending to manipulate campaigns is not the same thing as free speech.”

“John McCain did not become president, but as I can attest, not becoming president sometimes can lead to other wonderful things,” Buttigieg added.

McCain’s New Hampshire victory helped build momentum for the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. Buttigieg called for a new round of sweeping political changes, including restrictions on gerrymandering and changes to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We can take major steps, including banning gerrymandering and reforming the Supreme Court, without even resorting to the amendment process,” Buttigieg said. “My bigger point is that we must engage in bigger thinking. We can do big things, and I believe that we must make big changes so that we can have nice things as a country.”

That includes amending the Constitution, Buttigieg said, and he urged the audience not to be afraid to take such a big, bold step.

“We must engage in bigger thinking. We can do big things, and I believe that we must make big changes so that we can have nice things as a country.”

Buttigieg has not announced a 2028 campaign, though he said in August that he was “more inclined than not” to run again. He also declined opportunities to run for governor or the U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2026, leaving him free to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.

Early polling places him among the party’s leading prospective candidates. A May Emerson College national poll put Buttigieg first with 18%. In New Hampshire, the July UNH Granite State Poll found Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leading with 22%, followed closely by Buttigieg at 21%. No other potential Democratic candidate reached double digits.

Monday’s event honored Eva Castillo of Manchester with the 2026 First Amendment Award for her advocacy, civic engagement, voter education, and work amplifying the voices of New Hampshire’s immigrant communities. Howard Brodsky, chair and co-founder of CCA Global Partners, received the Quill & Ink Award for advancing First Amendment education in the Granite State.

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.