Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield MORE said he doubts fellow hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersOutrage erupts over Breonna Taylor grand jury ruling Dimon: Wealth tax 'almost impossible to do' Grand jury charges no officers in Breonna Taylor death MORE (I-Vt.) can beat President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE in a general election.

“I have a hard time seeing the coalition ultimately coming together there,” the South Bend, Ind., mayor told The New York Times.

Buttigieg added that at the time “people were refreshed by the novelty of that boldness" of Sanders's ideas, but that they are now less exciting.

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Buttigieg has been criticized this week for saying that in 2016 voters wanted to “blow up the system,” adding that this mentality “could lead you to somebody like Bernie and it could lead you to somebody like Trump. That’s how we got where we are.”

Sanders's campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, pushed back on Buttigieg's assertion, touting Sanders's record of fighting for the working class as the reason he will be able to win in 2020.

"At a time when Trump has lied to millions of Americans and sold out workers, voters are looking for a leader who they can trust will fight for them," he said in a statement to The Hill.

"He is committed to standing up to powerful corporate interests, taking on the billionaire class, defeating Trump and creating a government that works for all people," he added.

Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, and Buttigieg are seen as front-runners among the 20 candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

In recent polls, the pair and former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Democratic groups using Bloomberg money to launch M in Spanish language ads in Florida Harris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle MORE, who is expected to enter the race Thursday, sit in the top three spots of Democratic presidential contenders.

Updated at 3:34 p.m.