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, a 2020 presidential contender, is defending his decision to attend the first Democratic debates despite tensions in his after a white police officer fatally shot a black man.

"We have to be able to do many things at once," Buttigieg said in an MSNBC interview on Wednesday, indicating his plans to attend the debate.

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"This is not just a policy question, this is a moral question," he continued. "And everything that all of us do, we do in the shadow of systemic racism that has poisoned the relationship between communities of color and police departments everywhere in the country.”

Buttigieg previously spoke with residents of South Bend during a tense Sunday town hall meeting.

"What I found on that stage at that town hall was, it was my job to absorb all of that pain, absorb all of that anguish, knowing that I could talk about all of the things we've done, but clearly we haven't done enough," he said on MSNBC. "And accepting responsibility for that because I'm in charge."

There will be two nights of debate, with 10 candidates appearing on Wednesday night. Buttigieg will join nine other Democratic presidential contenders on the debate stage on Thursday night.