Fox News’ Tucker Carlson attacked Pete Buttgieg again Wednesday, claiming the transportation secretary “wouldn’t even admit he was gay” until a few years ago and “lied about it for reasons I can’t understand.” . their”.
Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, explained. He explained in a 2015 article he wrote in the South Bend Tribune when it went public. And he explained again on several other occasions, revealing, among other reasons, the fear that admitting who he is “will be the biggest career-ending professional failure”. Buttigieg joined the Army in 2009, when the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy against openly gay and lesbian members was still in place.
Carlson spoke about Buttigieg while discussing the response to the mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday night that left five people dead and at least 18 injured.
“Pete Buttigieg obviously couldn’t pass up a moment like this,” Carlson said. It’s not like Pete Buttigieg wants to talk about how things are going at the Department of Transportation, which he’s supposed to be running.”
“No, Pete Buttigieg wants to talk about identity,” Carlson added. “He always wants to talk about identity. And the funny and ironic thing is that until a few years ago Buttigieg didn’t even admit he was gay. He hid it and then lied for reasons he was never asked to explain. Why not?”
Speaking about this week’s shooting, Buttigieg denounced the political attacks and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric that led to the physical attack on a gay nightclub. “It was a place of belonging, it was a place of community. And he was attacked, at a time when the entire LGBTQ community is under attack,” he said.
Carlson has a history of homophobia. He often goes after Buttigieg and embraces harmful tropes about trans people, drag queens, and the LGBTQ community as a whole.
Last year, Carlson teased Buttgieg for taking paternity leave after the transportation secretary and her husband, Chasten Buttigieg, whom she married in 2018, welcomed twins. Carlson said she’s “trying to figure out how to breastfeed.”
Media Matters researcher Kat Abughazaleh, who shared the clip of Carlson’s tirade on Wednesday, he posted on Twitter: “Wow, why wouldn’t a gay man in the military and public office come out as gay to the general public? Can anyone think of a reason???”
Chasten Buttigieg intervened:
I’m a passionate and motivated journalist with a focus on world news. My experience spans across various media outlets, including Buna Times where I serve as an author. Over the years, I have become well-versed in researching and reporting on global topics, ranging from international politics to current events.