The internet was enthralled by Indiana Mayor and presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg delivering a tribute to the people of Paris in perfect French following Monday’s fire at Notre Dame cathedral.
The 37-year-old, who announced his 2020 White House bid on Sunday, shared his sympathies with Parisians in a video posted to social media after the historic cathedral suffered extreme damage in the blaze.
And his message has sent his fans into a frenzy, leaving some swooning and others demanding he be elected the next president.
‘To the people of France I would like to say that Notre Dame Cathedral was like a gift to the human species. We share the pain but we also thank you for this gift to civilization,’ the Democrat said to a reporter for French station BFM TV.
Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 37, delivered a tribute to Notre Dame on Monday night after the historic cathedral burned in a devastating fire
Give him the job! Video of his message went viral as social media users fawned over his fluent French and hailed him as the next president
Fans were dumbstruck to see the South Bend Mayor speak French in his Notre Dame tribute
His tribute left some social media users swooning, writing: ‘I’m crushing pretty hard on #PeteButtigieg2020 right now’
This Twitter user was so impressed she said ‘I may have to change my choice for 2020’
What can’t he do?! Twitter users applauded Buttigieg for his sympathetic message as well as his impressive use of French
The South Bend mayor’s message quickly went viral, racking up 19,000 retweets and 97,000 likes on Twitter.
‘Pete, America needs you the world needs you – Ladies gentlemen this is what a president sounds like,’ one fan wrote.
‘Why is there even an election for goodness sake. Just give him the damn job and I’m Canadian!’ one enthusiastic Twitter user posted Monday.
‘He had me when I realized he was using complete sentences,’ another added.
‘I’m impressed. We could fall in love with this guy. Macron like, or Trudeau-ish. Young, fresh, articulate and focused, he has a greater idea of what the people want and need right now and he’s talented. Which means he’s passionate. I may have to change my choice for 2020,’ one Twitter user said.
‘And he speaks French too! What can’t @PeteButtigieg do?!?!’ another added.
Twitter users compared Buttigieg’s response to the tragedy with that of President Donald Trump, who suggested France use tankers to dump water on the fragile cathedral, which officials said would make the building collapse
Many on Twitter were quick to compare Buttigieg’s response to the tragedy with that of President Donald Trump.
‘Today, I saw a video clip of @PeteButtigieg playing classical piano. Another where he speaks in Spanish. And this one, were he tells Parisians, he shares their pain – in French. Just imagine having a President whose intellect exceeds that of a root vegetable … for a change,’ journalist Ana Navarro-Cardenas tweeted Monday night.
‘Something tells me this wasn’t French for ‘flying water tankers’, another added.
Trump called for flying tankers to dump water on the burning structure on Monday night, but French officials said the 856-year-old cathedral could collapse under the weight.
‘Wow this is way different from our current president. My head may explode,’ one Twitter user added.
The South Bend Mayor announced Sunday that he will run for president in the 2020 election
Buttigieg described the Notre Dame Cathedral as a ‘gift of civilization to all humanity’
‘I still remember the beauty of an East Mass I attended at Notre Dame cathedral some twenty years ago. Dreadful to see such destruction at one of the world’s most wondrous places,’ he added
Many couldn’t interpret his message but fell in love with Buttigieg for his French fluency
Some Twitter users noted that French isn’t the only language Buttigieg, a skilled polylinguist, speaks. Aside from English and French, he’s also proficient in Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Arabic and Dari.
Some social media users are more impressed with his French than his politics.
‘I’m crushing pretty hard on #PeteButtigieg2020 right now,’ one Twitter user wrote.
Buttigieg went on the pay his respects in a series of tweets.
‘The Cathedral of Notre Dame has been a gift of civilization to all humanity, and we are of one spirit with the French people this evening,’ Buttigieg tweeted.
‘I still remember the beauty of an East Mass I attended at Notre Dame cathedral some twenty years ago. Dreadful to see such destruction at one of the world’s most wondrous places,’ he added.
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