Mayor Pete Buttigieg Doesn’t Get Mad – He Gets Google To Understand Alfred E. Neuman Reference By Trump
President Donald Trump loves to give nicknames to his opponents as a way to diminish them. So it was no surprise that he tried the tactic against Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Friday during a short interview with Politico.
“Alfred E. Neuman cannot become president of the United States,” the president said when asked what he thought of the South Bend, Ind., mayor.
Related stories
President Donald Trump Tweetstorm - The Sunday Edition
The reference was to the long-time Mad magazine mascot, whose motto, “What, me worry?”, combined with his freckled, gap-toothed face and over-sized ears have become a universal symbol for stupidity.
Neuman has largely faded from the public consciousness as Mad’s circulation dimmed, so it’s not surprising that Buttigieg didn’t get the reference at first. The 37-year-old said he had to turn to a search engine to understand what Trump meant. .
“I’ll be honest. I had to Google that,” he said. “I guess it’s just a generational thing. I didn’t get the reference. It’s kind of funny, I guess. But he’s also the president of the United States and I’m surprised he’s not spending more time trying to salvage this China deal.” (Trade talks between the U.S. and China in Washington ended Friday without an agreement, raising the prospect of an extended tariff war.)
Ouch! Mayor @Pete Buttigieg responds to @realDonaldTrump slam that he is “Alfred E Neuman” —“I had to Google that..I guess it’s a generational thing.” pic.twitter.com/ZL11noISYL
— Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) May 11, 2019
Democratic presidential hopeful @petebuttigieg had to look up @MADmagazine's mascot after President Trump dubbed Buttigieg "Alfred E. Neuman." https://t.co/pvUoUB3mtj
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) May 11, 2019
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
