Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is giving public credit to protestors in Minneapolis, saying weeks of sustained resistance are starting to force real political movement.

In a video shared on social media, Buttigieg said “the ground is clearly shifting,” arguing that public pressure is making it harder for leaders in Washington to ignore what’s happening on the ground.

He framed the moment as a rare bright spot in what he called an “especially bleak couple of days,” pointing to the killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota as a devastating flashpoint.

According to reporting, Pretti was an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, an incident that has sparked anger, grief, and renewed calls for accountability.

Buttigieg’s broader point wasn’t just about one speech or one viral clip, but about what happens when people keep showing up even when the news feels relentless.

He suggested that the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement actions have triggered a backlash that’s widening, not shrinking, and that protestors are creating consequences that elected officials can’t easily hand-wave away.

He also highlighted what he sees as a tell that the pressure is working: changes in behavior from congressional Republicans who previously stayed quiet, including calls for investigations into actions connected to the crackdown.

In other words, Buttigieg is arguing that the “house of cards” starts to wobble when everyday people refuse to accept the storyline they’re being handed.

That message has traveled fast online, especially among LGBTQ+ audiences who see protest movements as historically essential to queer survival, safety, and progress.

For many queer people, the emotional subtext is painfully familiar: when state power is used to target a group, it rarely stops with just one community, and silence has never been a reliable shield.

That’s why Buttigieg’s language landed with so many viewers, because he wasn’t selling magic solutions, but pointing to something tangible—momentum created by people who refuse to be intimidated.

He described the demonstrations as “the strongest proof yet that you are not powerless,” a line that reads like a pep talk, but also like a warning to anyone assuming the public will simply tire out and go home.

Minneapolis has become a focal point in a wider national argument about immigration enforcement, federal authority, and what accountability is supposed to look like when force is used in public view.

And even as politicians debate, protestors have been making their own argument in real time: visibility matters, numbers matter, and persistence changes what becomes politically possible.

Whether you agree with Buttigieg’s politics or not, his message is crystal clear—when communities organize, when they document, when they keep pressure on, the story can change.

For LGBTQ+ folks watching from afar, it’s also a reminder that activism is not just history-book nostalgia, but a living tool that still shapes policy, public opinion, and the boundaries of what power can get away with.

And if there’s one thing queer people have learned the hard way, it’s that progress is rarely handed over politely, but it can be won when people decide they’re done asking for permission.

📷 IG: @ pete.buttigieg / chasten.buttigieg