Pete Buttigieg has never been shy about confronting absurd attacks on his identity. But when the former transportation secretary sat down with journalist Kara Swisher for a live recording of On with Kara Swisher at the University of Michigan, he faced one of the strangest yet: Tucker Carlson’s claim that Buttigieg is a “fake gay.”
Related: Tucker Carlson says Pete Buttigieg is ‘fake gay,’ should answer questions about gay sex
Swisher, leaning into the controversy with her trademark wit, teased Buttigieg in the episode released Tuesday by saying she was “starting to agree with Tucker Carlson on this fake gay thing,” when he didn’t know the significance of a meme Swisher said was popular among gay men. Buttigieg, unflappable, laughed and replied: “Chasten, my husband, has threatened to have my gay card revoked so many times. This is just going to be the latest.”
Later, Swisher, a lesbian, pressed Buttigieg on Carlson’s suggestion that he should be forced to answer “very specific questions about gay sex.” Buttigieg responded by pointing out the high level of cringeworthiness. “First of all, I do not think I want to discuss anything with Tucker Carlson,” Buttigieg said. “I cannot think of a topic I would like to discuss less.” He stopped himself after starting to say, “Even though I will admit some level of morbid curiosity on what in the hell he thinks. Actually, no.”
The audience laughed. Then, Buttigieg added, “I suppose it’s a sign of progress that their idea of a conspiracy is that I’m actually secretly straight.”
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He and Chasten Glezman Buttigieg, 36, were married in June 2018, when Pete, 43, was the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, before launching his presidential campaign. In 2021, the couple announced the birth of their twins, Penelope Rose and Joseph “Gus” August, via adoption. The husbands are raising their 4-year-old children in Michigan.
Chasten and Pete Buttigieg with their children Penelope and Gus Easter Egg Roll White House
Then U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (R) and husband Chasten Buttigieg with their children Penelope and Gus during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 10, 2023 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The conversation included more substantive topics. Buttigieg reiterated his condemnation of the recent assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah, insisting that “the only sane place to begin” is acknowledging the tragedy of a family losing a father. Yet he warned that President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have exploited the killing to stoke anger and justify repression.
“Part of what makes political violence a crime, not just against the target but against the country, is that it deprives our whole country of the freedom to have open, honest, safe political debate,” Buttigieg said. He cautioned that labeling opponents as terrorists echoes authoritarian tactics in places like Russia.
Buttigieg framed the moment as a fork in the road: either Americans resist the escalation of violence and rhetoric, or they risk sliding further into an illiberal age.
Swisher also pressed Buttigieg on his earlier view that former President Joe Biden should not have run for reelection, a position echoed by former Vice President Kamala Harris, who admitted in her new memoir, 107 Days, that Buttigieg was her first choice as a running mate but that she didn’t select him over fears that the country wasn’t ready to support a ticket with a Black woman and a gay man. Buttigieg explained that while he respected Biden’s decision at the time, “the truth … was that we had a choice between two candidates, two presidents. It was not close who should be president between those two.”
Still, he conceded that Harris might have benefited from a short primary after Biden’s withdrawal. “With the benefit of hindsight, if we’d invested those 30 days, then had she been the nominee, she would’ve done so after consolidating the party in a competition,” he said.
Related: Pete Buttigieg weighs in on ‘fairness’ of transgender kids playing girls’ sports
The podcast also highlighted Buttigieg’s evolving position on Gaza, an issue that has divided Democrats and alienated younger voters. He said he supports recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution, but only through a negotiated agreement that ensures Israel’s security.
watermarked footage still Pete Buttigieg on Kara Swisher podcast
Pete Buttigieg on Kara Swisher’s show
At the same time, he did not mince words about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct. “The Netanyahu government is perpetrating atrocities in Gaza,” Buttigieg said, insisting that U.S. support cannot be “a blank check.”
Though Buttigieg stopped short of announcing a 2028 run, the possibility hung over the interview. Asked directly if he would run, he dodged: “I don’t know. Really. It’s 2025. Have you lived through the last nine months? That’s long.”
However, his answers suggested that he views himself as part of a generational shift. He praised younger Democratic lawmakers such as New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin and urged the party to adapt to new realities in communication and coalition-building.
“We have an opportunity to invent some things from first principles,” he said. “It is a bad thing that we are here … but if we do have to start over, it should be to build a different way of doing things socially, economically, politically, that actually supports your ability to live a life of your choosing and to have a good life.”
This article originally appeared on Advocate: Pete Buttigieg responds to Tucker Carlson’s ‘very specific questions about gay sex’ on Kara Swisher’s podcast
