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His speech sounded like he was preparing for a second White House bid. Buttigieg gave a strident critique of President Donald Trump's administration while demanding Democrats make their agenda clear and reach out to people who disagree with them.

“We are being tested on nothing less than whether the United States of America is in fact the freedom-loving people that we believe and know ourselves to be,� Buttigieg told an audience of more than 1,000 in his first public political appearance since leaving the Biden administration in January.

It was a return to where Buttigieg emerged as a national political figure six years ago, when the millennial former South Bend mayor rose among a class of better-known Democrats to finish atop the Iowa caucuses in 2020. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also finished near the top as well in a glitch-plagued contest, and given remaining concerns about whether the results as reported by the party were fully accurate.

“It feels really good to be back in Iowa,� Buttigieg said at the outset of the town hall-style meeting, with many in the audience sporting slightly worn Buttigieg 2020 campaign caps and T-shirts. “Anyone can come to Iowa just before an election's coming up. I wanted to make sure I got a chance to talk to the people I got to know five and six years ago, and the people I’m just getting to know.�

The combination rally and policy chat toggled between questions about the future of the Democratic Party, both nationally and in Iowa, after three consecutive elections where Donald Trump has carried the once-competitive swing state.

A man began by saying, “I caucused for you six years ago,� to which Buttigieg replied politely, “Thank you.�

The man responded, “It's a treat to hear someone speak in complete sentences," prompting an explosion of applause and a standing ovation. “I do my best,� Buttigieg answered with a quick head nod.

As much as an indictment of the first months of the second Trump administration, Buttigieg argued Democrats' reemergence as a leading national party must come with a concise telling of what they support.

“There's this theory that we should just hang back and let them screw up. I disagree,� he said. Buttigieg acknowledged Democrats need to revisit some of their policy principles without naming any.

But he pivoted quickly to note, "We need to be in touch with our first principles, what we would be doing if we were in charge.� Among them, he argued, was to restore a federal right for a woman to receive an abortion, he said, prompting a 30-second standing ovation.

Buttigieg, a former intelligence officer in the Navy Reserves who served in Afghanistan, was headlining an event sponsored by the Democratic political organization VoteVets, which is focusing on Trump's and how they affect veterans and military families.

A number of other potential 2028 contenders are traveling the country in the early days of the second Trump administration.

Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent joint rallies have drawn large crowds around the country, including in Republican-led Western states. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently called for mass mobilization of Democrats at a speech in New Hampshire, and Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Tim Walz of Minnesota plan stops in South Carolina at the end of May.