Prospective 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg (D) was seen on video answering a question from a Norwegian reporter in the country’s language.
Speaking to reporters after an event in Columbia, S.C., the South Bend, Ind., mayor was recorded on video by a Washington Post reporter addressing a reporter in Norwegian. It wasn’t immediately clear to what the question posed to Buttigieg from the Norwegian reporter pertained.
A request for comment on the content of the exchange was not immediately returned by Buttigieg’s campaign. The mayor, who earlier this year announced an exploratory committee for president, reportedly speaks seven languages in addition to English: French, Spanish, Italian, Norwegian, Arabic, Maltese and Dari.{mosads}
The exchange comes days after “Winners Take All” author Anand Giridharadas wrote on Twitter that Buttigieg had taken him and his Norwegian friend by surprise at a campaign event by speaking to his friend in fluent Norwegian, explaining that he learned the language in order to read books by a Norwegian author.
Buttigieg is the only openly gay candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary as well as the only currently serving mayor among the prominent contenders. He announced last week that his campaign had reached the threshold set by the Democratic National Committee to appear on the debate stage.