Mayor Pete Went on Fox News and Hit Trump Where It Hurts Over His Refusal to Participate in Virtual Debate

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg already went viral this week on Fox News for calling out the conflict between Vice President Mike Pence's deeply held religious beliefs and President Donald Trump's deeply held affection for adult film performers.

Now, Buttigieg—colloquially known as "Mayor Pete"—has appeared on Fox again, this time calling out Trump for his refusal to take part in a virtual presidential debate.

Two days after the chaotic first debate between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Trump tested positive for the virus that's killed over 200 thousand Americans.

The President later underwent supplemental oxygen and dexamethasone treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center before returning to the White House days later.

In light of the President's diagnosis, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the second presidential debate—scheduled for October 15—would be held virtually.

In a Fox News interview, the President said he would only participate in an in-person debate, despite still being infected with the highly contagious virus.

Mayor Pete said Trump's reluctance was due to his fear.

Watch below.

Buttigieg said:

"I don't know why the President's afraid to participate in a debate. All of us have had to get used to virtual formats ... It's not something I think most of us enjoy, but it's a safety measure. And I think part of why the U.S. is badly behind the rest of the developed world on dealing with the pandemic is because every time there's been a choice between doing something that's more safe, or less safe, this president seems to push forward less safe."

Buttigieg isn't wrong.

The day after his appearance on Fox, news broke that the President intends to hold a gathering at the White House, potentially with hundreds of people. The last gathering at the White House—announcing Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court—was considered a super-spreader event, with nearly a dozen attendees testing positive after the event.

The White House has blocked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from contact tracing the event.

People largely agreed with Mayor Pete's assessment.

They praised him for going on the conservative Fox News network to call the President out.

The fate of the October 15 debate looks more and more grim, with Biden agreeing to do a solo town hall appearance on ABC News in lieu of the debate, which was also planned for a town hall format.