After being contacted by the media, the woman whose image was depicted was, according to reports, confused about why she showed up on the Buttigieg campaign.
"What's the meaning of the message accompanied by the photo? Have no idea of what's happening", she said, cited by The Daily Mail. The Kenyan woman told media that she had agreed to pose for the photo but did not expect that it would become a stock image.
According to The Daily Mail, the picture was earlier available on the free stock photography website Pexels, where a description explained that it was made in Kenya.
Netizens instantly took to social media to mock the Buttigieg campaign's goof.
A trained visual arts professional reads the metadata in an image before posting. This is not rocket science. pic.twitter.com/3wmYoMnZrn
— 🌹 Clark Feels The Bern (@Clarknt67) November 15, 2019
All that money he raised and he couldn't even pay for a photoshoot.
— Star Stuff (@BernieBroStar) November 15, 2019
This is a great example of how the establishment still thinks people can't easily look things up and fact-check them. The internet exists. This isn't the old days where you could just lie and no one can correct you immediately.
— The Real Mike-Mike🌹🆘️🔥🅰️ (@policyaboveall) November 15, 2019
It's only fitting. @PeteButtigieg is the equivalent of a Wall Street stock photo of a Democratic Presidential candidate.
— 🇩🇰Tommy 2Strong 🇺🇸🇫🇷 (@2Stroong) November 15, 2019
Buttigieg and his campaign have repeatedly referenced the Douglass Plan, named for the black 19th century US abolitionist Frederick Douglass. “Our response to those who ask what our agenda for black America is the Douglass Plan”, Buttigieg told CNN, adding that “it is the most comprehensive vision put forward by a 2020 candidate on the question of how we’re going to tackle systemic racism in this country”.
According to the Daily Mail, Buttigieg is experiencing a second surge in polls in recent weeks, as some surveys show him in the lead in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus.
