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On April 1, 2021, a video showing U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg unloading a bike from an SUV was shared on social media. Conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza published: Buttigieg CAUGHT Faking Green Lifestyle, Rides Bike to Work After Car Drops Him Off Near Destination. A headline on The Post Millennial read: WATCH: 'Environmentalist' Buttigieg unloads bike from SUV before riding the short distance to his destination. A number of YouTube users including conservative commentator Charlie Kirk also shared the video in question. Twitter user @Xeriland tweeted that it was Pete Buttigieg's dog and pony show. He claimed: Use an armored Suburban to bring a bike within a short distance of the destination. Unload it and ride in with a security detail in tow, pretending to save energy. These headlines, YouTube video titles, and tweets were all misleading and false. Buttigieg was not caught on camera staging a bike ride. We contacted the U.S. Department of Transportation. A spokesperson told us: He rode his bike to the White House Cabinet meeting and he rode his bike back to DOT after the meeting. According to Google Maps, the 6-mile round trip might take around 40 minutes on a bicycle. The video in question was first posted by CNN journalist DJ Judd, who made no mention of Buttigieg staging the bike ride: The video showed Buttigieg mounting the bicycle and eventually riding away with the SUV following him. Katie Barlow from SCOTUSblog replied to DJ Judd's tweet, writing: And biked out of the complex. The @Breaking911 Twitter account falsely tweeted that the video showed his arrival. This was misleading in that it implied Buttigieg arrived to the White House in the SUV and then wobbled a short distance to the Cabinet meeting: As for why the SUV was there, Buttigieg has a security detail. The bicycle appeared to have been stored on the SUV's bike rack while he was inside the White House for a Cabinet meeting. DJ Judd's video was subsequently shared on Buttigieg's own Twitter account, an odd choice if he had been caught doing something in a bad light. Buttigieg previously appeared in a video with the League of American Bicyclists. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News reported on the conversation, saying that he is a bike enthusiast: In sum, no, Buttigieg was not caught staging a bike ride after riding in an SUV. Countless headlines, YouTube video titles, and tweets were misleading and false.
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