Trump Taunts Mayor Pete Buttigieg With New Nickname: “Alfred E. Neuman”

President Donald Trump’s days of hurling insults and nicknames at political opponents are not over it seems, as the president tried to rip into Mayor Pete Buttigieg, by calling him “Alfred E. Neuman” this weekend.

“Alfred E. Neuman cannot become president of the United States,” responded Trump in an interview with Politico on Friday when asked about his thoughts on the 2020 Democratic candidate. Trump referred to Buttigieg, as the seemingly dorky, large eyed and wide smiling, freckled cover boy of MAD, a humor magazine which started more than 20 years before the 37 year old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was even born. A fictional figure that was sometimes compared to resembling President George W. Bush when he was in office, including once by Hillary Clinton.

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When reporters asked Buttigieg to respond to Trumps nickname for him, he said, “I’ll be honest. I had to Google that.” Continuing with his own little jab at the president, “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.” Trump’s comments come the same day that talks with the U.S and China leaves the future of a prolonged trade war between the two countries looming.

This was not the first dig the president has taken at the mayor. “He’s got a great chance, doesn’t he?” said Trump sarcastically at a recent rally in Florida, “He’ll be great representing us against President Xi of China. That’ll be great. I want to be in that room. I want to watch that one.”

Buttigieg also brushed off Trump’s Florida rally comments, telling reporters, “You can’t get too worried about the name calling and the games he plays, I was thinking of a Chinese proverb that goes, when the wind changes, some people build walls and some people build windmills.”

Article by Zoltan Lucas