Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said being gay doesn’t make him any less of a man.
Following controversial remarks from Rush Limbaugh about his sexuality, Buttigieg said the conservative radio host “has a different idea of what makes a man than I do.”
“Look: I’m not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh — or anybody who supports Donald Trump, frankly,” the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor said in an interview on Ellen that aired Friday.
“You know, when I was packing my bags for Afghanistan, Donald Trump was working on season seven of Celebrity Apprentice,” said Buttigieg, a former naval intelligence officer.
Last week, Limbaugh said Buttigieg’s sexuality could be a weakness against President Trump in the general election, eliciting a wave of backlash.
“How’s this going to look, 37-year-old gay guy kissing his husband on stage next to ‘Mr. Man’ Donald Trump?” Limbaugh said. “A gay guy, 37 years old, loves kissing his husband on debate stages. Can you see Trump having fun with that?”
Limbaugh later revealed that Trump, who awarded him the Medal of Freedom earlier this month, told him not to apologize for his remarks.
“Since when is strength about the chest-pounding of the loud-mouthed guy at the end of the bar? The strongest people I know are not the loudest people — they’re the ones who have the deepest sense of who they are and what they value and what they care about,” Buttigieg said.
[Related: Rush Limbaugh comments show challenge for Pete Buttigieg as a gay candidate]
