Pete Buttigieg Wants Thomas Jefferson's Name Stripped Off Buildings, Honors

Upstart candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, told radio host Hugh Hewitt that that he supports efforts to remove acclaimed President Thomas Jefferson's name from buildings, honors, and events — specifically the annual Democrat fundraiser, the "Jefferson-Jackson Dinner."

“Yeah, we're doing that in Indiana. I think it's the right thing to do,” Buttigieg said,according to The Washington Free Beacon, though he also offered a fairly neutral, half-hearted defense of the iconic president and author of the Declaration of Independence.

“Over time, you develop and evolve on the things you choose to honor, Jefferson is more problematic,” Buttigieg said. “There's a lot, of course, to admire in his thinking and his philosophy, but then again if you plunge into his writings, especially the notes on the state of Virginia, you know that he knew slavery was wrong. We are all morally conflicted human beings.”

Buttigieg stopped short of saying Jefferson's role in the founding of the United States should be wiped out of history books, but does support the idea that Jefferson should be stripped of visible honors, including his name on buildings and federal institutions, because those visible tributes have an effect on people's emotional and psychological well-being.