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“I am not discouraged, and I want to argue that you should not be either. I believe that we have a chance not only to emerge from the madness of this moment, but to fashion something dramatically better than any of us lived to see.”
That was Pete Buttigieg’s message to the Duke community on Thursday night, as he urged them to hold on to hope, to resist the pull of polarization, and to practice the kind of politics rooted in humanity and dialogue.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Joe Biden, came to Duke as the featured speaker for the David M. Rubenstein Distinguished Lecture. The series, established by Duke alumnus and former trustee chair David M. Rubenstein, brings prominent thought leaders and policymakers to campus each year for dialogue on pressing issues.
At the Department of Transportation, Buttigieg oversaw implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, helping to launch more than 20,000 infrastructure projects nationwide. His visit to Duke, which included a student conversation, a lecture at Page Auditorium, and a fireside chat moderated by Sanford Professor Deondra Rose, carried a consistent theme: the path through uncertainty lies in strengthening human connection and building institutions that deliver results.
A Conversation with Students
Buttigieg’s visit began with a gathering of Sanford undergraduate and graduate students whose questions ranged from electric vehicles to U.S. foreign policy. He reminded students that earlier generations also came of age amid turmoil. Periods that now seem “defining” were, in real time, experienced as chaotic and painful. Engaging during such times, he said, offers the burden and the privilege of public service.
Drawing on his years as a mayor, Buttigieg emphasized that the most enduring lessons in leadership often emerge not from Washington, but from local government where the consequences of decisions are immediate and personal. He closed the student session with a reminder that public leadership is never just technical. “Take care that you never confuse a moral question with a technical question,” he told them. “The former are the ones that you’re really called to answer.”
Even if our political systems and structures were performing just fine right now, we will still be facing an enormous set of tests.
Pete Buttigieg
Grounded in Place and Experience
Buttigieg rooted his remarks in stories from his own experience as mayor of South Bend. When he was elected at 29, the city had been labeled one of America’s “dying ” urban areas, scarred by factory closures and population loss. He spoke of refusing to accept decline, instead building partnerships and creative solutions to chart a new course.
“We refused to accept that fate,” he said. “Instead of trying to turn back the clock, we built a different future.”
He connected that experience to his time at the Department of Transportation, where delivering tangible results such as new passenger rail investments and improved roads was not just about infrastructure, but also about rebuilding trust in government. For Buttigieg, politics becomes legitimate only when it can deliver concrete benefits to people’s daily lives.
Confronting the Political Moment
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Buttigieg described today as a “season of political violence” in which institutions once thought secure (law, science, universities, even shared facts) are under strain.
“Even if our political systems and structures were performing just fine right now, we will still be facing an enormous set of tests,” he said.
Yet, he argued, such disruption can also be clarifying. For a generation of students preparing to lead, the moment calls for courage, imagination, and a willingness to design new systems rather than simply trying to restore old ones.
Generational Challenges
Climate change, disinformation, inequality, and artificial intelligence all surfaced in Buttigieg’s remarks as defining challenges of this era. He cautioned against nostalgia for a political or institutional order that was itself imperfect.
“Our purpose must not be just getting things back to the way they were,” he said. “Many of the institutions being dismantled today were already failing to meet the moment.”
Instead, he urged students to think rigorously about which systems deserve to be defended and which need to be reinvented. Hope, he said, lies not in restoration, but in renewal.
The Value of Institutions
Throughout his talk, Buttigieg returned to the idea that democracy earns legitimacy through results. Authoritarian systems often gain appeal not because of ideology, but because they appear effective at meeting basic needs. That, he suggested, is why local government matters so much: potholes filled, water delivered, and safe streets patrolled build trust in a way that speeches alone cannot.
“The contest for hearts and minds,” he said, “has as much to do with who can deliver clean streets as with ideology.”
As rough as this time seems right now, we can be really proud of the 2020s, because we can get through this test to turn it into something much better.
Pete Buttigieg
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Universities and Citizenship
In the fireside chat portion of the evening, moderated by Professor Deondra Rose, Buttigieg reflected on the role of universities in sustaining democracy. Colleges, he said, are not only about preparing students for careers, but also for citizenship.
“Students have this one special season in their lives when their full-time job is to engage with the world around them,” he said. He encouraged them to use that time to build habits of dialogue and connection that would outlast their years on campus.
Polarization and Social Media
Asked about polarization, Buttigieg acknowledged that America has always been divided, but said today’s crisis is different. What troubles him most is not disagreement itself, but the erosion of shared facts.
“I’m even more troubled by situations where people literally have no common facts,” he said.
He linked this directly to the power of social media algorithms. While digital platforms promised to democratize communication, he said, they have too often rewarded outrage over deliberation. He implored students to resist letting their worldview be shaped by feeds alone, and to seek out the civic lessons of direct problem-solving and face-to-face conversation.
Personal Reflections on Identity and Service
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Rose also asked Buttigieg about his journey as a historic presidential candidate and as a gay man in public life. He shared that he once wanted to be seen only as “the mayor,” but came to recognize that representation carried weight beyond his intentions.
“So much of the struggle for equality is carried by communities,” he said, “even when that isn’t what you set out to do.”
He also spoke about his military service in the U.S. Navy Reserve, where he served from 2009 to 2017. During his mayoral term, he took a seven-month leave in 2014 to deploy to Afghanistan. Those experiences, he said, reinforced the idea that leadership means being accountable not only for policies, but for people.
A Call for Humanity and Hope
Buttigieg closed the evening by returning to the importance of human connection. Politics, he said, is “an exquisitely human enterprise,” and universities are among the best places to practice the art of debate, persuasion, and understanding. He closed by acknowledging this era in history.
“There is no risk of your choices not mattering,” he told students. “As citizens, you are being called to shape the future.”
For Buttigieg, the path forward is clear. If citizens can look beyond polarization, rebuild trust in institutions, and connect with one another face-to-face, then the turbulence of this era may yet give way to something better than what came before.
“As rough as this time seems right now, we can be really proud of the 2020s, because we can get through this test to turn it into something much better.”
Rubenstein Lecture
Student Reflections
Three students reflect on their experiences hearing from policymakers like Buttigieg and others who come to campus.