Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg earned a standing ovation from a packed Lehigh University lecture hall Tuesday night as he urged attendees to seek common ground with others and to begin planning for an America that is no longer under the leadership of President Donald Trump.
“Every politician leaves the scene, and yet it’s very hard for us to picture,” Buttigieg said, adding that he’s “very worried” that not enough Americans are preparing for what life will be like when the Trump administration ends.
Domestic and international institutions have been irrevocably altered, and Americans will need to reaffirm their faith in common principles to find a path forward, Buttigieg said.
Political equality, economic opportunity and personal liberty are the foundations of American democracy, he added.
“Enormous inequalities of power and wealth” fueled the frustrations that led to the rise of Trump, and politicians from all parties must work to make American society more equitable, Buttigieg said.
His suggested reforms include addressing the nation’s deficit and debt, making it easier to build housing, transportation and clean energy, and reducing the cost of everything from higher education to groceries.
Artificial intelligence could shorten the work week and put more money in Americans’ pockets, he said, but without regulation the technology could instead further concentrate power and wealth.
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg delivered the annual Kenner Lecture on Cultural Understanding at Lehigh University on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. His talk was entitled “Civility in Public Discourse: Navigating Polarization and Uncertainty.” (Courtesy of Lehigh University)
Buttigieg also resurfaced some of the structural political reforms that were a part of his 2020 presidential campaign. Removing partisanship from the Supreme Court could mean changing the number of justices, he said, adding that nationwide restrictions on gerrymandering are needed to make congressional races more competitive.
Citizens should not be afraid to push for a Constitutional amendment to reduce the influence of money in politics, Buttigieg said, arguing that if our country “changed the Constitution so you couldn’t have a beer” we’re capable of passing an amendment to say that corporations are not people and money is not speech.
But political reform will not be possible if Americans do not restore their ability to seek truth through trusted sources, he cautioned.
Placing “some dude with a podcast” on the same credibility level as a newsroom with established professional standards leaves news consumers less informed, Buttigieg said.
“If everybody’s a reporter but no one’s an editor, you’ve got a problem,” he said.
To illustrate how much Americans’ news diets have shifted, Buttigieg had everyone in the audience under 30 raise their hand and then asked who regularly consumes TV news. Only one hand remained.
Consumers must insist that independent media producers operate with the same professional standards as established newsrooms, Buttigieg said, telling the audience, “You are voting on the editorial policy of the algorithm that is feeding you.”
As he encouraged the audience to support established newsrooms, Buttigieg also said crowdsourcing has its place as a method of surfacing truth, calling Wikipedia an “impressive” example.
To reach common ground, Americans must humbly acknowledge that asking someone to change their opinions is difficult, he said.
“How you voted doesn’t make you a good or bad person,” Buttigieg said.
Striving for civil discourse doesn’t mean compromising your principles, but it does require people to regard one another as human beings, he said.
“We can be fierce and strong and clear and also not be jerks about it,” Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg did not say whether or not he will again campaign for political office. He said he’s had an “unceremonious transition” from life as Cabinet secretary to his current primary role as father to twin 4 year olds.
He said he was afraid he might show up to Tuesday’s lecture with a black eye, noting that one of his twins had managed to push the corner of “Big Bird’s Red Book” directly into his eye.
Parenting “soaks you in an experience you don’t get a lot of in Washington: humility,” Buttigieg said.