Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is making his first TV appearance since the January inauguration Tuesday night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The former secretary and former South Bend mayor, who lives in Michigan with his husband and children, will do so following President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress Tuesday after winning a second term in office.
Buttigieg, sources say, is taking a serious look at running for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan in 2026. The topics he and Colbert will discuss after Trump speaks to a joint session of Congress have not been revealed.
Here’s what to know about watching Buttigieg.
What day does Pete Buttigieg appear on The Late Show?
Tuesday, March 4, is when Buttigieg will appear on The Late Show, according to an announcement Colbert made last week and a news release by CBS.
Watch Colbert announce Buttigieg as a guest
What time is The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on March 4, 2025?
The Late Show on CBS airs Monday through Friday, 11:35 p.m. to 12:37 a.m., ET/PT and is available to stream on Paramount+.
Check your local TV listings for the channel to watch on CBS.
Trump claimed Buttigieg ‘was a disaster’ as South Bend mayor. Data suggests otherwise
After an air tragedy in January in which a passenger plane collided with an Army helicopter in Washington, leaving no survivors, Trump used part of a press conference to blast the leadership skills of Buttigieg, claiming he was a “disaster” as the mayor of South Bend.
Previous reporting by IndyStar shows that not to be the case.
Buttigieg’s eight-year stint as mayor was mostly lauded by local government officials, political experts, neighborhood activists, business leaders and tourism officials.
Buttigieg, in a post on X, responded at the time, calling Trump’s comments despicable.
“As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying,” he wrote. “We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch. President Trump now oversees the military and the FAA. One of his first acts was to fire and suspend some of the key personnel who helped keep our skies safe.
“Time for the President to show actual leadership and explain what he will do to prevent this from happening again,” Buttigieg added.
More about Buttigieg: Trump claims Buttigieg ‘was a disaster’ as South Bend mayor. Data show the city grew
Who is Pete Buttigieg?
Buttigieg, 43, a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, served as former President Joe Biden’s transportation secretary.
Buttigieg was born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1982. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard University. The Army veteran also studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar, according to Ballotpedia.
What are Buttigieg’s ties to Michigan?
He owns a home in Traverse City with his spouse, Chasten, and children and currently resides there.
Buttigieg is taking a “serious look” at a run for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan in 2026. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring at the end of his term, leaving the seat vacant.
Presidential aspirations
Buttigieg ran as a Democratic candidate for president in 2020. Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses, but later suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Joe Biden.
IndyStar trending reporter Katie Wiseman contributed to this article.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Pete Buttigieg on ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ after Trump address
