Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a recent podcast episode that Vice President Vance is “very smart” but “not a very principled person.”

“Trump said this week that JD Vance is his most likely heir apparent. You played JD Vance in debate prep with Tim Walz. What are your impressions of him and his seemingly inevitable candidacy in 2028?” “Pod Save America” host Jon Favreau asked Buttigieg on the Sunday episode of the podcast.

“Well, I think he’s very intelligent. I think he’s very smooth. I think he’s very capable. That’s why we — we definitely shouldn’t — I know there’s a temptation to make fun of him, and — but, you know, I can — I can do it with the best of them, sometimes when you see how he conducts himself out there,” Buttigieg responded.

“But let’s be clear, we’re talking about a very smart person, not a very principled person,” the former Biden Cabinet secretary added. “It didn’t take him many years to go from comparing Trump to Hitler — which he did — to saying that he ought to be the leader of the free world.”

Last Tuesday, President Trump said it was too soon to settle on a successor to be the Republican nominee in three years, but he acknowledged it would “most likely” be his vice president.

“I think most likely, in all fairness,” Trump said when he was asked if he would clear the field by supporting his vice president.

“So it’s too early to talk about it, but certainly he’s doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point,” the president also said.

Buttigieg is seen as a probable contender for the 2028 presidential race among other notable Democrats including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

The Hill has reached out to Vance’s office for comment.