Earlier this week, conservative commentators really thought they did something with the headline “Pete Buttigieg brought husband Chasten on military aircraft to attend sporting event in Netherlands”. This article pointed to an event from last April that saw the transportation secretary using government funds to carry out government business (the horror!).
Mouthpieces like GOP strategist Matt Whitlock and Senator Josh Hawley‘s press secretary Abigail Marone clocked in to clutch their pearls and scold Buttigieg for daring to travel with his husband:
Wild story – to summarize, while commercial air travel has been a disaster for you:
✈️Mayor Pete has taken 18 private jet flights
✈️He took Chasten on a military plane to attend a sporting event in Europe.. with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.Tom Price resigned for much less. https://t.co/da0UbiV6zy
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) January 4, 2023
Your holiday flights were delayed or cancelled but Pete Buttigieg brought his husband on a military aircraft to attend sporting event in Netherlands https://t.co/TLHCMUta2f
— Abigail Marone 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) January 4, 2023
Related: Will Pete Buttigieg run for Senate now that Debbie Stabenow is retiring?
When Buttigieg took to Fox News once again Thursday night to go toe-to-toe with their brilliant political minds, he clearly came prepared.
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Host Bret Baier delves right into the faux-controversy, asking, “You also brought your husband Chasten on a military aircraft to attend this sporting event in the Netherlands. Was that reimbursed?”
With that, class was in session.
“That’s quite a spin to put on it,” Buttigieg responds plainly. “Of course not; I led a presidential delegation to support American wounded warriors and injured service-members, the Invictus Games, as had been tradition for many years.”
“It was one of the great honors of my time in this job. And the diplomatic protocol, on a presidential delegation, is that the principal is often accompanied by their spouse.”
He points out that he also spent that time meeting wounded Ukrainian servicemembers competing in the games, some of whom “went from the games back to the battlefield to fight for their country” in the Russo-Ukrainian War. On top of that, he took the chance to meet with the prime minister of the Netherlands to discuss Dutch port infrastructure.
“Here’s what I want you to understand,” he continues. “Before me, it was the Secretary of the Army under President Trump who took that trip with his wife. Before that, it was Mrs. Trump as first lady who went to the Invictus Games. Before that, Mrs. Obama did the same thing.”
Getting to the heart of the matter, he says, “I guess the question on my mind is, if no one’s raising questions about why Secretary Esper and his wife led that delegations, then why is it any different when it’s me and my husband?”
Related: Pete Buttigieg slams GOP congresswoman who cried as she begged colleagues to reject marriage bill
A flustered Baier immediately says “Understood” and drops the entire line of questioning. Days of irritatingly uninformed and homophobic right-wing complaining crushed in under a minute and a half.
“Understood,” Baier responded before moving on to another topic.
Wow pic.twitter.com/9gccU53NCh
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 6, 2023
Throughout it all, the Looney Tunes-level comedy of the House Speaker vote can be seen trying to pull focus from the lower right corner. Watching McCarthy’s eleventh Groundhog Day-style loss play out at the same time just adds an extra bit of unrelated schadenfreude to this immense Buttigieg own.
dbmcvey
If this had been a straight person taking their spouse no one would have even noticed. It just shows again how homophobic conservatives are.
missvamp
truth
SDR94103
I love Pete. He’s an incredible representative for our Country and for LGBT people.
inbama
So glad to see there are people in high places who still understand the ethical responsibility in representing the rest of us.
Flamingo Falls
Bravo, Secretary Pete! Anyone who tries to back him into a corner is fighting a losing battle.
RKP
Good for Brett to just move on from the question. Because when I used to work with Brett and he visited NYC from Atlanta he would always want to go check out the strip clubs while his gf was at home. So, you know…..these folks who try and throw stones need to reflect on their own questionable behavior – not that PB’s was, at all – just these Fox folks who try to play gotcha with these questions.
marshal phillips
Pete nails it on Fox.
Fname Optional Lname
Too easy. Their minds are so filled with hate and rage they never take a moment to look at facts. The ignorant have come together to scream and rant whatever they are told as long as it helps them develop a false sense of superiority.
Brian
Another way to look at it: A war veteran went to an event to support other war veterans.
Republicans love to pretend to be pro- military, but they aren’t. They also love to pretend to support police (“back the blue”) until they invade the Capitol and swing baseball bats at police. Republicans are all branding, no substance.
Mattster
Pete is to be commended for going on Fox to confront all sorts of nonsense to an audience that really needs to hear it.
And he didn’t even point out “Oh, and by the way, I am a FREAKING VETERAN” as he could have.
LumpyPillows
I do love hoe Pete always slays the Fox News trolls right on their air to their faces, but only after they ask for the intellectual beating.
Stan H
I do not watch Fox News because I view that channel like a swamp. FUllof things that bite that serves no real purpose!
bachy
I have nothing but respect and admiration for Buttigieg. But it really burns my ass that someone of his stature has to waste even 5 minutes of his time responding to bottom-feeder BS like that!
Joshooeerr
Even the dimmest Fox News flunkey would know that this is standard protocol. They raise the objection anyway, knowing that it will register with the typical Fox viewer, while the response will be airily dismissed. Fox fans will still be bitching about Buttigieg taking his “boyfriend” (not spouse) along at the taxpayer’s expense, regardless of it not being an issue at all.
linedrive
I’m glad Baier gave him the opportunity to address this ridiculous “issue”. Not saying I’m a Baier fan but at least he asked him and didn’t just tweet dumb sh*t. And I love Pete. He makes us look good–better than we deserve sometimes.
Dwight
Don’t remember Fox complaining when Mnuchin took his wife on a private plane to Fort Knox to view the eclipse. Or Mnuchin wanting a private government flight for his honeymoon
Kangol2
Let those bigots have it, Pete. And then, pretty please, get a little tougher on the airline companies!
RIGay
I am glad that Pete did not back down, and it was a lesson worth teaching, but in all honesty, it was lost on Baier. He realized his “Gotcha!” didn’t land and he was already moving onto the next talking point in his head.
lather
Secretary Buttigieg is the epitome of what a public servant should be. His intelligence will equal or surpass anyone in the room. His ethics will equal or surpass anyone in the room. He does so well in these venues because he is so smart and he has nothing to hide. And he has no huge ego that needs to be massaged. He is a true public servant and I wish we had tons more just like him. Kudos to Pete and his equally wonderful husband Chasten.
linedrive
Perfectly stated
bachy
100%
LumpyPillows
Perhaps Pete could be president…
Ronbo
No more miquetoast moderates! We need actual progressives and I hope and pray that Pete moves out of MIC/neoliberal territory into a government that solves problems.
Please support candidates who want to expand public education into community colleges. Support candidates who will work to impose taxes on corporations that engage in profiteering off economic recessions and catastrophes. Support candidates who demand that we provide healthcare to each and every American. Milquetoasts SHOULD be embarrassed by “sick kid commercials” of sick kids forced into begging for donations so that the sick kids can get healthcare at a Shriner hospital or St. Jude. Those not embarrassed by the spectacle of begging for healthcare actively choose NOT to see the millions and millions of “have nots” suffering under neoliberal D and R politicians.
I hope Pete will fight for us – and not be just another disappointing candidate who only fights the fights that make themselves more money and power.
LumpyPillows
So, Ronbo, you mean radical candidates that will lose in a national election?
Pete’s positions are well thought out and reasonable. The only chance to get national health care and fix the tax system is to win solid majorities and the presidency. We can’t do it with looney left candidate with woke nonsense alienating the average voter.
jackscott
Buttigieg needs to go on so many more shows to eloquently put homophobic news personalities in their place!
kappa
Again and again, Pete Buttigieg excercises articulacy and sharp, lucid analysis. It isn’t just that his thinking is on the ball but that he can muster it briskly in a moment. A genuinely impressive politician, regardless. Take care of him America.