Presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday blasted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) for being evasive on how she would fund Medicare for All, saying she's been more specific on the number of selfies she's taken.
"I have a lot of respect for Senator Warren, but last night she was more specific and forthcoming about the number of selfies she's taken than about how this plan is going to be funded," Buttigieg told CNN host Alisyn Camerota. "And that's a real problem."
Buttigieg accused Warren of "Washington speak" for not saying how she'll fund her cornerstone policy proposal.
"Not only is it important to have yes-or-no answers to yes-or-no questions at a time when people are so frustrated with 'Washington speak,' but also there's still been no explanation for a multi-trillion-dollar hole in this plan," he said.
Warren's status as one of the frontrunners in the 2020 race made her a prime target for attacks during Tuesday night's Democratic primary debate. On the debate stage, Buttigieg criticized her for refusing to say whether or not Medicare for All will raise taxes on the middle class.
Warren responded by insisting costs would rise for "the wealthy" and "corporations," but she did not say whether or not the middle class would pay more in taxes.
On CNN the following morning, Buttigieg doubled down on that line of attack.
"Just to be clear," Camerota asked, "when she says that middle-class families will have more money in their pocketbook because health care costs will come down under her plan, you don't believe her?"
"Well, the important thing is that health care costs will go down under my plan, too, without blowing a multi-trillion-dollar hole in the Treasury," Buttigieg said. "And also, without commanding millions of Americans to abandon their private plan, whether they want to or not."