Buttigieg jokes ‘Veep’s’ Selina Meyer would be ‘well matched’ with Trump in 2020

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg joked in an interview published Sunday by Vulture that the character Selina Meyer from the political comedy show “Veep” would be “well matched” in a 2020 race against President Trump.

“Tough to say — they would be well matched,” Buttigieg, who currently serves as the mayor of South Bend, Ind., said when asked if the character played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus could beat Trump in 2020.

{mosads}”There’s the same level of cynicism and self-orientation — and with both of them, the burning but unanswerable question is the same: Is the president in on the joke?”

Buttigieg and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a fellow 2020 presidential candidate, were both asked about the show, which aired its final episode Sunday night.

When asked the same question about Meyer against Trump, Swalwell asked, “You mean could China beat Russia?” — a reference to Meyer’s dealings with the Chinese president on the show.

Both candidates touched on other shows that they think better portray what life is like in Washington politics.

“The best political TV show of our time is ‘Game of Thrones,’ “ but ‘Veep‘ is high on the list, partly (if sadly) because of a certain degree of realism that anyone who has worked in politics can recognize,” Buttigieg said.

Swalwell pointed to two other political dramas but said that days on Capitol Hill often feel like the HBO comedy.

“After watching them all, Washington should aspire to be more like ‘The West Wing,’ ” Swalwell said. “Things are dark, but few in Washington are as evil (or efficient) as the characters in ‘House of Cards.’ The reality is most days feel like ‘Veep.’ “