South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBillionaire who donated to Trump in 2016 donates to Biden The 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 MORE on Thursday lambasted President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE's reversal on previous plans to push for a citizenship question on the 2020 census, calling the move a "face-saving way to recognize that he's been on the wrong side."

Buttigieg, a Democratic presidential hopeful, said in an interview with CNN that Trump's decision earlier Thursday to drop his administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census shows that the president is "recognizing reality and backing down."

"It sounds like a face-saving way to recognize that he's been on the wrong side of the law throughout," he said. "There are any number of ways to do research on issues like immigration, but tinkering with the census was clearly racially and politically motivated."

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"It's why it was held to be unlawful by the courts," Buttigieg added. "And it sounds — although he changes his mind from day to day, so you don't really know for sure but — it sounds like he was at least at last recognizing reality and backing down."

Trump said Thursday that he would issue an executive order requiring federal agencies to provide the Commerce Department information on citizens and noncitizens in the United States. The move came after the Supreme Court ruled late last month that a citizenship question could not be added to the 2020 census because the administration’s reasoning — that the question was necessary to help enforce the Voting Rights Act — was "contrived."

Trump's plan had faced intense scrutiny from those who warned that the question could lead to an undercount by discouraging participation among immigrants and citizens who fear they could expose undocumented family members. Possible undercounts, critics warned, may cause certain areas to lose out on federal funding and have their congressional districts unfavorably redrawn.

The proposal faced further scrutiny after evidence showed that a Republican redistricting strategist played a significant role in the Trump administration’s efforts to add a citizenship question to the census, undercutting the administration’s argument that the question is needed to enforce the Voting Rights Act.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Democratic senators ask inspector general to investigate IRS use of location tracking service MORE (D-Mass.), a fellow 2020 contender, also took aim at Trump's reversal on Thursday, quipping, "Wow, he’s going to follow the law?"

"This is not about trying to find out real information about citizenship and non-citizenship in America. This is just about trying to stir up more hate. To try to get some more people excited," she added.