Mayor Pete Just Learned Teens Call Him "Mayo Pete"

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, one of the many democrats still vying for that presidential nomination, squared off against his greatest opponent yet today: memes.

In a wide-reaching interview with the New York Times' editorial board, Times opinion editor Aisha Harris asked Mayor Pete what he thought of his alter-ego, of sorts, "Mayo Pete."

"Do I want to know?" Buttigieg asked in response to whether or not he's familiar with the Mayo Pete memes.

The memes, in question, play on Pete's given nickname of "Mayor Pete," adding a pejorative slant by chopping off the R. These memes infer that Buttigieg's policy platform overwhelmingly favors white people, comparing it to the white appearance of mayonnaise.

Or as the Times' Kathleen Kingsbury puts it: "A more generous interpretation is it’s bland."

Part of the New York Times' series of interviews with Democratic candidates, the interview touches on many aspects of Buttigieg's platform, including reproductive rights and his consulting work at McKinsey & Company. The series will conclude with the Editorial Board's endorsement of a Democratic nominee.

Judging by Buttigige's answer, it does not seem like Mayor Pete will be adding mayo to his campaign any time soon. The color isn't lost on Pete, though.

"I get the white part," says Buttigieg before defending himself and his ideas.

"Well, first of all -- again, try to get folks to look at how big these ideas are. I mean I’m talking to them about the biggest reform in the American health care system we’ve had since Medicare was invented. I’m talking about a game-changing transformation on the availability of funds to go to college. I’m talking about getting our climate carbon neutral by 2050."

However, the interview did not get to other memes that use the Mayo Pete moniker to criticize Buttigieg a bit harsher, like the one below.