Pete Buttigieg believes Donald Trump's grip on presidential power is "beginning to end", with the former Secretary of Transport highlighting a rough first year.
The Trump administration has come under fire from both the Republican Party and Democratic representatives over healthcare, the cost-of-living crisis, and the release of Jeffrey Epstein's files. Buttigieg, speaking in a new years address uploaded to his YouTube account, has since shared his thoughts on the apparent power base in the White House shifting away from Trump.
He said there are "things happening in our politics that you wouldn't have thought possible just months ago" and cited examples from inside the Republican Party as where this shift is coming from.
Buttigieg said, "Even in the Republican Party, we saw evidence that the president's grip on power was beginning to end. We saw it on everything from the vote to release the Epstein files to what happened in Indiana redistricting."
"Then we saw election results happening not just on the East Coast, but in places like the South, with Democrats performing better than most optimistic scenarios had considered."
The former Secretary of Transport suggested the Democratic Party had a chance to make a difference with "an opening" for change. He said, "We have an opening right now for 2026 to be a year of dramatic and positive change in this country."
"If we stay focused and if we put in the work. What I'm going to be doing in 2026 is everything I can to help." It appears Trump is feeling the pressure of polling figures, too, with many network and independent polls showing the president has a low approval rating.
Trump tried to counter this with a post to Truth Social, claiming his approval rating was anywhere between 50% and 64%.
The president made a late night Truth Social post claiming he had actually received an approval rating of 64%, rather than the already high 50% on a graphic posted by Trump. The graphic, which reads, "Over 50% of voters approve of President Trump," comes from The Trafalgar Group, an opinion polling agency which has received criticism for inaccurate methodology in the past.
Trump took to Truth Social with a photo of the graphic, and wrote, "The polls are rigged even more than the writers. The real number is 64%, and why not, our Country is “hotter” than ever before. Isn’t it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!"