Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is not holding back. In a fiery post on X Monday, he accused President Donald Trump and lawmakers in Washington of running a political system that's rigged for the powerful and against regular people.

"It is a carnival of corruption. Congressional stock trading. First Family crypto schemes. A secondhand jumbo jet," Buttigieg wrote. He added that these aren't just abstract complaints: "These are not academic concerns. They hurt all of us – and they are related to the reasons we can't have common-sense outcomes that most Americans actually agree on."

In the video attached to the post, Buttigieg laid out the connection between political dysfunction and economic pain. "Our economy is unfair because our politics is unfair," he said, pointing to corporate spending in elections, lawmakers trading stocks while shaping policy, and concerns over presidential financial interests. He also criticized congressional redistricting, presidential immunity rulings, and policies that he said weaken public institutions.

"This is not an academic concern. This hurts us," Buttigieg said. "This is why things aren't working properly." He argued that political problems trickle down to everyday issues, including costs for consumers and education outcomes. "This is why we can't have nice things. But it doesn't have to be this way."

Buttigieg isn't the only Democrat sounding the alarm. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) recently accused Trump of corruption after financial disclosures showed he generated at least $1.4 billion from digital asset ventures in 2025. She argued that Congress should restrict elected officials, senior administration figures, and their families from profiting from crypto-related businesses.

Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trump's communications director, also criticized Washington's political climate, accusing Trump supporters of excusing unethical behavior. He said corruption concerns have damaged public trust and contributed to perceptions of a "two-tiered system" in the country.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton separately pointed to reports involving Trump's stock holdings and government contracts, calling them evidence of "unprecedented corruption." She highlighted reports alleging Trump purchased millions of dollars in Axon stock before ICE pursued a contract involving the company, and referenced a reported $500 million no-bid contract tied to a White House ballroom project.

The common thread? A belief that the system is broken in ways that directly harm Americans' wallets and faith in government. Buttigieg's message is clear: until the "carnival of corruption" is shut down, don't expect things to get better.