Pete Buttigieg is no longer in the Cabinet or actively campaigning, but this week, the former Transportation secretary stepped back into the national political spotlight with a pair of interviews that touched on LGBTQ + rights, authoritarianism, and the internal tensions facing the Democratic Party.

In the end, Buttigieg’s message is simple but urgent: the Democratic Party has to evolve. That means letting go of what no longer works and being brave enough to build something new. It’s about tuning in to how people live now — how they get their news, who they trust, what they need — and designing a government that reflects that.