CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A full-capacity crowd greeted former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to a veterans town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, marking his first major public appearance since Donald Trump took office in January.
The May 13, 2025, stop at the downtown Veterans Memorial Building was not a campaign appearance, but Buttigieg touched on presidential themes, including freedom, democracy and security, raising speculation he will make a second White House run.
“It feels really great to be back in Iowa,” Buttigieg said to cheers from the crowd, noting the last time he was in Cedar Rapids was as Transportation Secretary, making a stop at the Eastern Iowa Airport related to President Biden’s infrastructure funding.
“And the last time before that, I was winning the Iowa caucus, so thanks for that, too,” he said, referencing the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses in a narrow win over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, among a slate of other contenders.
Sponsored by the Democratic political organization VoteVets, Buttigieg, a former intelligence officer in the Navy Reserves, spoke after several veterans told their stories of life under the uncertainty of tariffs, cuts to the VA and other fallout from the Trump administration.
The venue has a capacity of about 2,600 people.
See photos of Pete Buttigieg and other presidential contenders during a 2019 event in Cedar Rapids.
A town hall featuring Pete Buttigieg attracted a capacity crowd to the Veterans Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
“We will not rest until we restore a woman’s right to choose,” Buttigieg said to a standing ovation, referencing freedoms that have been lost under Trump.
The crowd also stood and applauded when Buttigieg took a jab at Trump, saying “at the end of the day… American people bow to no king.”
After speaking about 15 minutes, he answered audience questions for another hour, on topics including cuts to the VA, the Trump administration threatening to end the right of habeas corpus, budget bills, tax dollars to religious schools, and Trump ending protections for Afghan refugees who served as allies for the United States.
“They put their lives on the line,” Buttigieg, who served in Afghanistan, said of the Afghan allies. “We couldn’t have done our jobs without them. It is a security imperative. It is a moral imperative to take care of these refugees.”
Buttigieg advised the audience to keep up discussions about budget cuts and other issues with their Congressional representatives and “other peaceful ways to get their attention.”
See more photos from Buttigieg’s stop in Cedar Rapids, below:
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