Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will take part in a town hall with the liberal veterans organization VoteVets later this month in Iowa.
The town hall, which the group said is a part of a broader effort to lift veterans’ voices during the Trump administration, will take place on May 13 in Cedar Rapids.
Buttigieg is expected to discuss the impact President Trump has had on veterans during his first 100 days in office.
The event marks Buttigieg’s first public, in-person appearance since leaving office earlier this year. Last month, Buttigieg publicly passed on a Michigan Senate run. A source familiar with Buttigieg’s thinking told The Hill the move sets him up for the strongest possible position to run in 2028, noting that running for governor and senator would have taken that off the table.
The source added that while the Democratic Party has been in discussions about going to new places to reach people, Buttigieg has been doing that since Day 1.
Buttigieg adviser Chris Meagher told CNN, which first reported the news of the town hall, the former secretary is trying out “different formats” including town halls, in an effort to reach people.
“We’re trying out several different formats — town halls, Q&As with different people on his social media, going out to podcasts and shows both political and non-political, and more — to try to reach people where they are, both in-person and online,” Meagher said.
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