The hashtag "#WallStreetPete" trended on Twitter early Thursday after 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful 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's campaign hosted a series of high-dollar fundraisers in New York City this week.

The nickname emerged as the South Bend, Ind., mayor attended a fundraiser late Wednesday at the home of tech investor Kevin Ryan on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Protesters could be heard chanting "Wall Street Pete" outside of Ryan's home.

Rather than coming out to talk with working class New Yorkers (or letting us in! It’s cold out here!) @PeteButtigieg called the cops on us. Why did #WallStreetPete come to campaign in our city if he’s afraid to talk to us. pic.twitter.com/7pM3tl6GsM — New York Communities for Change (@nychange) December 11, 2019

Buttigieg joked about the protesters' presence inside of the fundraiser, according to a reporter traveling with his campaign.

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"Wow, they’re excited. One of the things you learn on a deployment is dealing with distracting noises," Buttigieg said.

The mayor then headed to the home of Vogue Magazine editor Anna Wintour in Greenwich Village for another fundraiser.

The hashtag "Refund Pete" also started trending on Twitter on Thursday. The hashtag has been included in tweets from users who say they were former supporters of Buttigieg asking for a refund on their donations.

A number of the users wrote that they were upset with Buttigieg's high-dollar fundraisers.

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I'm disappointed in @PeteButtigieg - getting money out of politics is essential to a functioning democracy. That's why I emailed his campaign today for a refund of my March contribution.



Think Pete is failing to represent your values? Email info@peteforamerica.com #RefundPete https://t.co/VVua6Pjsqb — Conor Bronsdon (@ConorBronsdon) December 10, 2019

When asked for comment on the hashtags, Buttigieg's campaign touted his grassroots support.

"We are proud to have the support of more than 700,000 grassroots donors across the country who are helping power this campaign," Matt Corridoni, a Buttigieg campaign aide, told The Hill.

Corridoni noted that Buttigieg's average contribution in the third quarter was $32, and that 98 percent of the campaign's donations were under $200.

The campaign also noted that it garnered nearly $2 million donations from over 700,000 individuals throughout the primary.

Buttigieg's campaign announced earlier this week that his high-dollar fundraisers would be opened to reporters and the names of campaign bundlers would be disclosed amid growing pressure from progressives over transparency.

Buttigieg addressed his fundraising strategy in an interview with "CBS This Morning" on Thursday, noting the need to compete with President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE's campaign bank account in a general election.

"We are getting ready for the fight of our lives," Buttigieg said. "We're going up against Donald Trump and his allies, who I believe raised $125 million just in the last quarter in order to stay in power. If somebody wants to contribute to my campaign to support us in taking on Donald Trump, then we're going to need to bring everything we've got to that fight."