James Murdoch Praises Pete Buttigieg: Has ‘Courage’ to Solve Our ‘Hardest Challenges’

James Murdoch, the son of billionaire and Fox Corporation founder Rupert Murdoch, lavished praised on South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg Wednesday, declaring the presidential candidate has the “courage” to solve some of America’s most pressing issues.

Speaking at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment summit, Murdoch touched on a variety of issues, including the race for the White House race and the Fox News Channel. Of the Democrat presidential primary, Murdoch lauded Buttigieg, stating that the 37-year-old has the “composure, character, thoughtfulness, courage to handle some of the hardest challenges that we have.”

“My wife and I have been very enthusiastic about his leadership,” he added. “The generation that has been making decisions for a while now really hasn’t delivered.”

In April, Federal Election Commission reports showed that Murdoch gave $2,800 to Buttigieg’s campaign, the largest amount possible to a primary candidate. Murdoch, previously CEO of 21st Century Fox, is known as a political centrist compared to his more conservative brother, Lachlan Murdoch. Since leaving the Fox empire in March, Murdoch launched the investment group Lupa Systems.

Asked at the Vanity Fair event about the state of Fox News, Murdoch admitted that he does not watch the channel. The executive also said he was “disappointed to see” longtime anchor Shepard Smith suddenly leave the network. He also stated that he finds it “frustrating see how news organizations preach to the choir in these opinion shows.”