Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is batting away questions about polling better than President Biden as a potential 2024 White House hopeful.
He edged out Biden in a poll released last week of likely 2024 New Hampshire Democratic primary voters.
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center Granite Poll found that 17 percent of those surveyed would choose Buttigieg among a list of Democrats, or those who caucus with Democrats, who are considered possible 2024 presidential contenders, while 16 percent chose Biden.
In a Monday interview on “The Daily Show,” host Trevor Noah asked Buttigieg about besting his boss in the hypothetical match-up.
“I know you’re secretary and you can’t say anything about that, it’s political,” Noah told his guest.
“But when you see a poll like that, does it give you a little more swag in meetings with the president?” Noah asked Buttigieg, to laughs from the Comedy Central show’s audience.
Buttigieg, the former South Bend, Ind., mayor who ran for president in 2020, deflected any talk of another White House run.
“If I want to look good in front of my boss, the best thing I can do is to have just broken ground on a major project like we did today in New Jersey,” Buttigieg, 40, said with a smile.
“That’s going to be my focus, because that’s my job,” Buttigieg said.
“So slick! So good at what you do,” Noah replied.