On Thursday night, former mayor Pete Buttigieg, who is currently out of a job since his presidential campaign came to a halt, tried a new path, hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC, where he took the opportunity to mock President Trump. Because of the threat of the coronavirus, the normal studio audience was absent, prompting Buttigieg to sneer, “When you don’t have a real audience, you have to fake one. Just like Trump’s inauguration.”
Buttigieg had preceded that potshot at Trump during his opening monologue by asserting:
Now this is a strange night for us; not only because this is my first time hosting a talk show, but because we are doing it without a regular studio audience due to public health concerns over the coronavirus. We have canceled the studio audience tonight. But a few kind Kimmel staffers and some friends, my husband Chasten, all here instead. We’re gonna have a great time. Everyone is spread apart at the CDC recommended distance. This was not our plan; we just decided this a few hours ago.
He added later, “The only way we’re going to get through this crisis is with unity. So let’s do this together. Who’s with me?”
The screen cut to a vast audience cheering.
Buttigieg continued, “Full disclosure: None of those people are here. But when you don’t have a real audience, you have to fake one. Just like Trump’s inauguration.”
Pete Buttigieg just hosted Jimmy Kimmel live. 10/10. Knew he’d do well, yet still exceeded expectations. Amazing performance. pic.twitter.com/f9NnelIzUb
— Christian Movick (@ChristianM_74) March 13, 2020
Buttigieg’s mockery of Trump and a non-audience was ironic considering the Center for Popular Democracy Action, a group that supports Sen. Bernie Sanders, claimed that Buttigieg’s campaign allegedly edited applause into a video clip from a CNN town hall.
WATCH: @PeteButtigieg inserts artificial audience applause into #PeteOnCNN videos #SneakyPete (video by @rafaelshimunov) pic.twitter.com/LyxrcYstGH
— CPD Action (@CPDAction) February 7, 2020
In February, when he was still riding high and waiting for the results of the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, Buttigieg boasted regarding Trump, “I don’t think he can figure out what to do with me, and that’s fine by me. I’m not that focused on this president’s approach because they always do the same thing. He’s going to find a vulnerability, and if he can’t, he’ll make one up,” as the Daily Mail reported.
At a campaign rally, when a voter yelled out “F***” as Buttigieg mentioned President Trump, Buttigieg smilingly agreed, “Well said,” also stating, “The President thinks we are suckers. And this is our chance to send a completely different message that he will hear.”
Prior to that, Buttigieg had boasted what he would do from “my White House,” puffing:
So to me, the best use of that big blue-and-white airplane that comes with the Oval Office that the president uses mostly for the purpose of traveling among golf courses with his name on them — I don’t even golf so that’s not going to be how I use that airplane. I’m going to use that airplane to go directly into the backyard of senators who are not just defying my White House but defying their own voters, their own constituents, and require them to explain to the people who sent them to Washington why they refuse to enact the basic legislation that meets the expectation of their own voters.
Now he’s hosting late-night talk shows.