LA Times Reporter Issues Correction on Pete Buttigieg’s Obama Misquote That Went Viral
LA Times reporter Evan Halper appeared to have captured a remarkably newsworthy moment when during an interview with presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg, the South Bend Mayor laid blame for the rise of Donald Trump at the feet of former President Barack Obama.
The last paragraph included the following comment “The failures of the Obama era help explain how we got Trump,” which is a starkly critical comment of the still wildly popular political figure in Democratic circles. And not surprisingly, this comment quickly went viral.
The sentiment expressed toward Buttigieg is neatly encapsulated by Mediaite’s own Tommy Christopher’s quote tweet of actor Twitter-famous Kamala Harris supporter Chris Evans:
There isn’t back enough for this to be walked. https://t.co/TEIBvsDRz5
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) November 11, 2019
But it turns out, Buttigieg never actually said that, at least according to Halper, who corrected the record and apologized for the misquote which he attributed to a “noisy recording at a loud rally.” Halper tweeted:
My story about @PeteButtigieg ends with him referring to the “failures of the Obama era.” That’s an inaccurate quote — the result of transcribing a noisy recording at a loud rally. His exact words were “failures of the old normal”
— Evan Halper (@evanhalper) November 11, 2019
I deeply regret the mistake When we make errors we own them. This one really hurts because it went viral. Here’s the candidate’s full remark: “I also fundamentally believe that there is no going back. My message is not about going back to where we were.
— Evan Halper (@evanhalper) November 11, 2019
I think because I come from a part of the country where normal has been a real problem for a very long time, and I think the failures of the old normal help explain how we got to Trump, I am much more interested in building a future that is going to have a lot of differences.”
— Evan Halper (@evanhalper) November 11, 2019
The LA Times article has been updated to correct the quote from Obama, but curiously no note of correction has been included. The last paragraph now reads:
For a lot of people, “‘normal’ has been a real problem for a very long time, and I think the failures of the old normal help explain how we got Trump. I am running on building a future that is going to have a lot of differences.… One thing I learned in 2016 is to be very skeptical of any message that relies on the word ‘again.’ ”
While Halper corrected the record, questions about the veracity of his correction remain. Let’s go back to Tommy Christopher’s clear expression of reasonable skepticism:
Sorry @evanhalper I think we’re gonna need to hear that tape for ourselves. Pete’s own spox was out here defending the Obama quote last night. Now she’s deleted that tweet. https://t.co/cQYKkFSVis pic.twitter.com/eU6TVDJUIB
— Tommy X-TrumpIsARacist-opher (@tommyxtopher) November 11, 2019
At least one notable media figure took a charitable view of Halper’s mistake. Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough showed appreciating and understanding when he tweeted the following:
Thanks for the clarification. Mistakes happen. In fact, I make one every few minutes. People know the facts and anyone still using this quote today will be showing their bad faith. https://t.co/14K8Qb22iL
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) November 11, 2019
UPDATE: Buttigieg has shown appreciation for Halper’s “swift and honest” correction of his misquote:
I appreciate this reporter’s swift and honest correction of a misquote on my views of the Obama presidency. From health care to DADT repeal to the rescue of the auto industry, my appreciation of the great leadership of Barack Obama comes from a very personal place. https://t.co/eWvSDtcpTQ
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) November 11, 2019
