The Scoop: Pete Buttigieg Balances Outreach With Base Reassurance After ‘flagrant’ Appearance

Also: Discord co-founder eases leadership transition; Chinese factory posts threaten brands.

Pete Buttigieg made a strategic PR play by appearing on “Flagrant,” a self-described “unruly,” traditionally “anti-woke” podcast with a mostly male audience that hosted President Donald Trump a month before last year’s election.

During the nearly two-hour episode, he discussed a wide range of topics – from his military service and time as mayor of South Bend, Indiana to DEI and matters affecting the LGBTQ+ community, of which he is a member.

Mayor Pete, as people often refer to him, maintained a civil and humorous tone while engaging with comedian Andrew Schulz and the other hosts. They posed for photos for social media afterward.

Following the appearance, Buttigieg, a progressive Democrat, turned to his personal Substack to clarify his intent: this wasn’t about preaching to the choir. He stressed the podcast appearance was as much about where the message landed as what it said. Buttigieg framed it as a deliberate attempt to “launch a different kind of conversation” in spaces Democrats like him often avoid, noting the hosts had “tried but struggled to get progressive voices to come on.”

“A podcast with an almost all-male viewership, which prides itself on rejecting political correctness and is skeptical of all things ‘woke,’ represents an audience that might not be inclined to give my party the benefit of the doubt,” he wrote. “That’s the point.”

This is an expansion of a long-term Buttigieg strategy to get his message heard in places other Democrats are reluctant to go – he’s been a guest on Fox News for years, including during his tenure as Secretary of Transportation under President Joe Biden.

Why it matters: Buttigieg’s strategy shows how PR professionals can expand their brand or principle’s reach without losing sight of core values.

By being willing to engage with audiences skeptical or even hostile to your viewpoint, you can sometimes break through echo chambers. Even if those audiences don’t agree with you, they may respect you more for being willing to talk.

But these moves can spook traditional bases, who may see these appearances as consorting with the enemy. After the podcast, Buttigieg used a direct message to clarify his intent, reinforce his values, and ensure his supporters understood where he stood.

“This moment demands more than just good ideas—it demands showing up consistently in spaces where not everyone shares our views,” he wrote.

Finally, Buttigieg’s approach underscores the most important part of any communication: authenticity. The likely 2028 presidential candidate was likely trying to chase some approval from the other side of the aisle. But through his messaging, he clearly conveyed that engaging with a nontraditional target audience doesn’t mean compromising what you stand for or represent.

As Buttigieg put it: “You can count on me to keep showing up—anywhere there’s a chance to have a real conversation with anyone willing to engage.”

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Casey Weldon is a reporter for PR Daily. Follow him on LinkedIn.

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