Are we supposed to feel bad? WaPo's peek at Chasten Buttigieg getting acclimated to DC life manages to make Pete Buttigieg look even worse

When Pete Buttigieg accepted the position of Joe Biden’s Transportation Secretary, little did he know what he was signing up for.

No, we’re not talking about the job. We’re talking about the rent:

The rent in D.C. is too damn high for Pete and Chasten Buttigieg: "We couldn’t afford the one-bedroom-plus-den." https://t.co/WPcS5hXiko pic.twitter.com/YqtKMbhD0q

— Morgan Baskin (@mhbaskin) July 26, 2021

Oh, the humanity!

It should concern everyone that a top administration official working on $5T government spending plans can’t figure out how to survive in Washington on $220K/year. https://t.co/pEJt52xRrA

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 26, 2021

Dude responsible the transportation budget of the United States can’t manage his own finances to afford a one bedroom home. https://t.co/hmH7ik5cKr

— Prison Mitch (@MidnightMitch) July 26, 2021

Really inspires confidence in Pete Buttigieg, doesn’t it?

As Mayor Pete plays a starring role in $5T of infrastructure spending, remember that during the primary Biden viciously mocked his transportation experience as decorating sidewalks and installing colored lights under bridges.

It was the best ad Biden ever did. pic.twitter.com/rbCOaYDkOq

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 26, 2021

Welp.

Is Chasten not working?

— Ellen Carmichael (@ellencarmichael) July 26, 2021

He just made a good amount on book deals but I’m not sure if he’s doing anything else

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 26, 2021

According to the Washington Post’s article, Chasten Buttigieg is currently unemployed.

Not only is Pete’s salary $220K, he and Chasten made a TON on books and podcast deals.

Making over $500K/ year and complaining to the Post about DC (median income about $50K) being too expensive (while pushing policy to make it more expensive) is a LOOKhttps://t.co/YdMfbmcxoO

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) July 26, 2021

It certainly is a LOOK. And not a good one.

My roommate and I have a 2 bed/2 bath + den in the middle of the city and our rent costs nowhere near $4500 a month. https://t.co/sezxEHxNbS

— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) July 26, 2021

DC's rent is very very high but the idea that you can't find a nice one-bedroom here for significantly less (and I mean thousands of dollars less) than $4,500 per month is just gaslighting. https://t.co/sjCQh5lyBw

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) July 26, 2021

You really have to appreciate the irony of Biden cabinet members bitching about prices of anything.

Also fun is Boot-edge-edge's suggestion that you can't get an apartment in DC for under $4500. That's like saying you can't afford a car while pointing to the price of a Bentley https://t.co/XzeWDMrerZ

— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) July 26, 2021

This is just so funny, and so self-defeating. I know Buttigieg's last real life experience was living in South Bend, IN, but surely he has to know that the DC media either lives in DC or the near 'burbs and knows what rents are like? Expensive, sure, but they're not this. https://t.co/8JQ1CSTp28

— Jeff B. tried to do his best, but he could not (@EsotericCD) July 26, 2021

I have very low confidence in this guy's ability to manage the DOT (or anything) if he misunderstands the DC rental market this badly. https://t.co/KzIZF1VJx5

— 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘑. 𝘋𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 (@StevenJDuffield) July 26, 2021

https://t.co/758JjaKMII pic.twitter.com/6vET9wA4Ri

— Dr. Ricardo Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) July 26, 2021

You can always count on @dril to have a tweet somewhere that fits the situation.

Just like you can always count on the Washington Post to run interference for a Democrat:

Annnnd the Washington Post has updated this story since it was published.https://t.co/3fs5sUAW0C https://t.co/3jG2LEQbQn pic.twitter.com/0Um6zQRi4u

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) July 26, 2021

"…the rent and availability of apartments at the Buttigieges’ building has changed since this article was originally published…"

wow… it was originally published on *Friday*… pic.twitter.com/DzQgzeBqCb

— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) July 26, 2021

Wow, the price of rent can change a lot over the weekend!

So did the Buttigieges ask for the "update" or did the reporter see the comments about the article?

— judy (@judy060709) July 26, 2021

In my career I have forced many, many corrections on the WashPost and, believe me, I have never seen them snap to it this willingly before.

— Jim McCarthy (@JMacNYC) July 26, 2021

The thing is, WaPo’s “correction” actually makes Pete and Chasten Buttigieg look even worse and more out-of-touch.

so now the contention is that $3,000 per month is somehow unaffordable for someone making $220,000 per year

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) July 26, 2021

Just amazing.

If you follow the advice of spending up to 1/3 of your income on housing, he can afford 6k a month. And that's on Pete's salary alone.

— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) July 26, 2021

$220k/yr = $18,333.33/mo, rent at $3000/mo = ~16% housing expense, which is incredibly low considering lenders will underwrite mortgages up to 45-50% debt to income ratio. Not sure who he's trying to convince here

— Fedora Trenchcoat (@FTrenchcoat) July 26, 2021

Whoever he’s trying to convince is a real sucker if they fall for it.

And the icing on the cake?

So actually they have another home on Lake Michigan, too. Not too shabby after all.

— judy (@judy060709) July 26, 2021

If you read down farther, they also purchased a home on the lake in Traverse City MI- that is certainly not cheap

— Christine Breasbois (@ChristineBreas1) July 26, 2021

It certainly isn’t.