Pete Buttigieg: 'I remember buying The Times and a ħobża for dad'

When Pete Buttigieg thinks of Malta, his memories begin not in the halls of power where he later made his name, but in the corner stores of his father’s hometown.

As a boy visiting family in Malta, the future US presidential candidate would clutch a few coins, buy a loaf of bread, and pick up a copy of the Times of Malta for his father. Decades later, and thousands of miles from Ħamrun, Buttigieg says that same newspaper remains his “window” into the country.

The former US Transport Secretary under Joe Biden, and a potential Democratic frontrunner in the next US election, Buttigieg shared his connection to Malta and highlighted the crucial role of journalism in a video message he sent to Times of Malta on its 90th anniversary.

"My father came to the US from Malta a few years before I was born. And I still remember, during trips to visit family in Malta as a boy, being sent to the corner store with a couple of coins in hand to buy a copy of the Times for my father, along with a ħobża (loaf) or two," he said in a video address.

"To this day, I'm one of the many people around the world who care about Malta and rely on the Times as a window into the many things that are happening in the extraordinary and special place that is the Maltese Islands.

"My home here in northern Michigan is a long way from my father's home town of Ħamrun but I'm conscious that the many values that are important to the US when it comes to the role of the press are those being celebrated here too, including integrity, resilience and fidelity to the truth."

The video was shown during a business breakfast event to mark Times of Malta's 90th anniversary on Wednesday.

At the beginning of the address, Buttigieg jokingly said it was a relief for him to address a room where his surname was a common one.

Buttigieg is a former US presidential candidate. Photo: Shutterstock

'Caruana Galizia murder reminder of threat on journalism'

Buttigieg said these values are being tested globally and acknowledged the risks journalists face, citing the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia as a "sobering reminder" of the threat to journalism.

He also recognised the recent convictions related to her murder as a step towards justice.

Buttigieg served as the US Secretary of Transportation from 2021 to 2025 in the administration of President Joe Biden. Before his role in the cabinet he was the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020.

But Buttigieg is arguably mostly known for his historic campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, where he was the first openly gay candidate to win delegates in a major US political party's presidential primary.

He is a graduate of Harvard University, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and a formal naval officer.

Buttigieg served as the US Secretary of Transportation from 2021 to 2025 in the administration of President Joe Biden. Photo: Shutterstock

Journalists under pressure

In his message to Times of Malta, he also touched on the challenges faced by news organisations in the US, noting that Donald Trump's administration has used "rhetorical attacks, business threats and litigation" to make their work more difficult.

"The truth is that journalists are under severe pressure and real threats in so many parts of the world," he said.

"And threats to journalism amount to a threat to humanity's access to the truth itself."

He called for the independence of the press to be respected across party lines and international boundaries.

Buttigieg said professional journalism has become even more crucial in the modern, digital world.

Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard University, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and a formal naval officer. Photo: Shutterstock

"It is true now that anyone with a smartphone can be a kind of reporter and can command a widespread audience. But for precisely this reason, the editorial function - the role of upholding journalistic standards related to truth, verification and fairness - has never been more necessary," he said.

He concluded his message by encouraging Maltese journalists to continue their important work.

The video message ended with Buttigieg's heartfelt congratulations in Maltese: "Allura, prosit lit-Times of Malta għad-90 anniversarju tagħkom, u grazzi mill-ġdid tal-opportunita li naqsam magħkom f'din l-okkażjoni. Grazzi ħafna."

President Myriam Spiteri Debono and Prime Minister Robert Abela were among those who addressed Times of Malta's 90th anniversary business breakfast at the Phoenicia on Wednesday.

The event discussed the threats to journalism and the truth in the modern age, and the challenges for reporters in a world dominated by social media and artifical intelligence.

Founded in 1935, Times of Malta remains the largest news organisation in Malta.