‘Figured it was time’: Pete Buttigieg made a huge announcement before his DNC speech that you definitely missed, and that’s not even the biggest bombshell

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg was on Kamala Harris’ vice presidential shortlist. Although he didn’t get picked, Buttigieg’s visibility has greatly increased this election season, nowhere more so than in Buttigieg’s speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Aug. 21. But before he spoke, “Mayor Pete” — a moniker he earned as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana — broke some big news on social media.

Yes, it’s hard to believe, but Buttigieg did not have a TikTok profile, and he launched his account before he took the DNC stage. “Figured it was time,” Buttigieg captioned his post alongside a picture of himself snapping a selfie, looking very “demure,” as everyone said on that app when he announced the move. Will Buttigieg and his family be performing the Charli XCX “Apple” dance viral trend? We’ll have to wait and see.

Buttigieg’s TikTok followers exploded

Not long after Pete Buttigieg unveiled his new TikTok, his account gathered about a half-million followers, proving Buttigieg fans — and let’s face it, likely some trolls — were ready for him to show up on the app. Even though Buttigieg isn’t on the Harris ticket, it also seems likely we haven’t seen the last of Pete. Axios says he’s a leading contender for U.S. ambassador to the UN in a possible Harris White House. Politico also taps Buttigieg as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, or beyond. Buttigieg ran in 2020, and at this writing, has not publicly commented on his political ambitions after the Biden White House.

It’s good to have the charismatic politician on TikTok, in any case, one of his generation’s best communicators. Buttigieg has already shown a willingness to reach across the aisle on Fox News and other outlets. And as one comment on Buttigieg’s X post sharing the news pointed out, “So now I have to get TikTok to fangirl 🤣.”