Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign was called out for adding fake applause at the end of a response he gave about the trajectory of the U.S. economy during a CNN town hall event in New Hampshire.
"To me, that is not just a concern for our generation, it's a concern that calls on us to build an alliance among generations to try to make sure that the future really is better than the past," Buttigieg said in response to a question from an audience member.
In the live version, Buttigieg continued to talk and only when he was finished was there some applause. In the clip his campaign pulled, however, loud applause was added after the quote above.
The Center for Democracy Action, which supports Sen. Bernie Sanders, called his campaign out for the edit.
Here is the original post for your verification. https://t.co/HdxSAeO0bQ
— CPD Action (@CPDAction) February 7, 2020
Some on social media called the move "pathetic" while others were upset that Sanders supporters would sow more division among Democrats.
~ @PeteButtigieg Pathetic
— Ani (@EgryAni) February 8, 2020
#MayorCheat is trending
— Joey with a J ?????? (@momentumfwd1) February 7, 2020
We aren't calling him mayorcheat for no reason.
— marcus aurelius (@ramiel001) February 7, 2020
Keep up working on democrat division #berniebros. May as well buy Trump congratulations flowers now for his re-election. Well done. ????
— Nuchtweets???????????? (@nuchtweets) February 7, 2020
If you can't be impartial when it comes to something that is supposed to unite the party, then you shouldn't be here. What you're doing is propaganda. What you're doing, is ripping the party apart.
— TL Reeve~Author ?? New Year who Dis??? (@tl_reeve) February 7, 2020