Presidential hopeful and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg wondered about the sincerity of President Trump’s faith in a recent interview.
Buttigieg, 37, has had a surge of attention as people begin to learn more about the mayor. Buttigieg, who is gay and married, is an Episcopalian who considers himself to be religious. He told USA Today that he was not sure about the president’s faith, though.
“I’m reluctant to comment on another person’s faith, but I would say it is hard to look at this president’s actions and believe that they’re the actions of somebody who believes in God,” Buttigieg said. “I just don’t understand how you can be as worshipful of your own self as he is and be prepared to humble yourself before God.”
Buttigieg was married to his husband, Chasten, in the Episcopal Church. He said that the way he views religion is through a different lens than some of those on the Right.
“The Left is rightly committed to a separation of church and state,” Buttigieg said “… but we need to not be afraid to invoke arguments that are convincing on why Christian faith is going to point you in a progressive direction.”
He condemned right-wing Christians for “saying so much about what Christ said so little about, and so little about what he said so much about.”
The mayor said one of his favorite verses from the Bible is Matthew 6:5, in which Jesus says: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.”
Buttigieg has seen strong growth ever since he went after Trump and Vice President Mike Pence during a town hall last month. He said he worked with Pence when he was governor of Indiana and didn’t understand why Pence, who frequently invokes religion, “became the cheerleader of the porn star presidency.”
“I thought, well, at least he believes in our institutions, and he’s not personally corrupt,” Buttigieg said. “But then, how could he get on board with this presidency?”
The line about “the porn star presidency” generated headlines across the country and helped propel his campaign forward. He brought in donations from more than 20,000 people the day after the town hall.
Buttigieg recently took third place in a poll out of Iowa, behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He also reported his campaign raised more than $7 million during the first fundraising quarter.
