Joe Biden is rumored to be considering his former presidential rival, Pete Buttigieg, for a high-profile ambassador post. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana is reportedly a top-contender to serve as Ambassador to China in a Biden administration, Axios reported on Wednesday.
Breaking Axios: Joe Biden is considering a high-profile ambassadorship for Pete Buttigieg, possibly sending him to China, people familiar with the matter tell Axios. https://t.co/yuJ0nPKRVA
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 9, 2020
Buttigieg was previously seen as a top candidate to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), but Biden eventually selected Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who previously served in the Obama administration, to hold the post. Axios' report said that Biden's team is struggling to find a Cabinet post for Buttigieg, as the incoming administration works to nominate "women and people of color" as often as possible.
"But finding a Cabinet position for him has been a challenge as the former VP focuses on nominating women and people of color to high-level posts."
Buttigieg has been critical of the Trump administration’s toughness on China, criticizing the administration’s tariff’s.
"But it's also a fool's errand to think you will be able to get China to change the fundamentals of their economic model by poking them in the eye with some tariffs,” he said during his presidential campaign.
If eventually selected, Buttigieg would serve as one of the youngest ambassadors to China. Typically, this ambassador post is awarded to long-time government employees with experience in public service.