The White House has demanded an apology from former Vice President Mike Pence after mocking Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg for his “maternity” leave.
Meanwhile, Chasten Buttigieg, Pete’s husband, shared a photo of Pete holding their premature baby.
‘An honest question for you, @Mike_Pence, after your attempted joke this weekend. If your grandchild was born prematurely and put on a ventilator at two months old – their little fingers wrapped around yours as the monitors beep in the background – where would you be? Chasten wrote on Twitter with the photo.
Buttigieg and husband Chasten welcomed twins Joseph August (called Gus) and Penelope Rose in August 2021
Over the weekend, Pence told the annual Gridiron dinner in Washington that Buttigieg, who is gay, took “maternity leave” while Americans suffered airline problems in 2021. At the time, Buttigieg’s adopted twins were born prematurely and suffered from health problems. .
Buttigieg and husband Chasten welcomed twins Joseph August (called Gus) and Penelope Rose in August 2021.
Several Republicans have mocked the Transportation Secretary for taking at least three months of paid vacation as President Joe Biden tried to push his infrastructure bill through Capitol Hill and US seaports.
“Pete is the only person in human history to have a child, and everyone has postpartum depression,” Pence joked over the dinner.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized the remark and demanded an apology.
“The former vice president’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, especially since he treated women with postpartum depression as a punchline,” she said in a statement. . “He should apologize to women and LGBTQ people, who have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The Gridiron Dinner attracts hundreds of journalists and politicians each year and features skits and comedic speeches from high-profile guests. It also featured teases from Democrats, including Sec. of State Antony Blinken and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
Former Pence chief of staff Marc Short mocked the criticism of the remarks as “fake outrage”.
“The hypocrisy is especially rich given their own Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s joke that he yearned for ‘the old days’ when ‘Jews did all the work,'” Short said. “The White House would be wise to focus less on appeasing the woke police and focus more on bank failures, planes nearly colliding in mid-air, train derailments and the continuing crisis of the supply chain.”
Pence joked at the Gridiron dinner that Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg had taken ‘maternity leave’
Pence’s sarcasm about the Transportation Secretary was overshadowed by his bold criticism of former President Trump.
“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said. “I had no right to cancel the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone on Capitol Hill that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.
“History will hold Donald Trump accountable for Jan. 6,” Pence told his former boss’s crowd.
Pence also criticized those who downplayed Jan. 6 in an apparent swipe at Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who obtained archival security footage of President Kevin McCarthy and aired nonviolent moments inside the Capitol during his show.
Chasten, left, went to bat for husband Pete Buttigieg after former Vice President Mike Pence attacked him for taking ‘maternity leave’
Buttigieg is pictured with his twins in a photo posted on November 24, 2022
“Make no mistake, what happened that day was a disgrace,” Pence said. “And it’s a mockery of decency to portray it any other way.”
Pence is believed to be preparing to enter the presidential race in 2024.
He also praised the media for their January 6 reporting.
“We were able to stay in our post partly because you stayed in your post,” he told reporters covering the insurgency. “The American people know what happened that day because you never stopped reporting.”
After chatting with Washington insiders and the media over the weekend, Pence will campaign in New Hampshire on Thursday and in Iowa on Saturday.
