Chasten Buttigieg: 'I've been dealing with the likes of Rush Limbaugh my entire life'
WASHINGTON – Chasten Buttigieg, husband to 2020 Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg, said that he has "been dealing with the likes of Rush Limbaugh my entire life"
The comments come after the longtime conservative radio host, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom during President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech, said that "despite all the great wokeness," Democrats and America are "not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband."
Chasten Buttigieg told ABC News that he had to deal with a "multitude of Rush Limbaugh's walking through the hallways of high school everyday," but that he is mostly worried about the "young people in this country watching the likes of the historic nature of this campaign."
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"Watching how they talk about it, watching how people react to it and treat it," he continued. "And they're wondering if this country is actually a safe place for them to be."
If Buttigieg won the Democratic nomination, he would be the first gay candidate to represent a major party in an election. He and Chasten, a former middle school teacher, have been married since 2018.
When discussing the issue during CNN's town hall on Tuesday, Pete Buttigieg took his previous comments about Limbaugh's statement one step further.
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"The idea of the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Donald Trump lecturing anybody on family values?" the former mayor said. "Sorry, but one thing about my marriage is, it's never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her."
My marriage has never involved me sending hush money to a porn star. I’m ready to have a debate with Donald Trump on family values. #CNNTownHall pic.twitter.com/ZVjpPjVUcb
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) February 19, 2020
Trump, as a then-Republican presidential candidate, and some of his top aides, work accused of trying to silence pornographic actress, Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an extramarital affair with him years earlier.
Limbaugh said on his Monday show following blow-back from his comments on Buttigieg that Trump advised him "never to apologize" about them.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chasten Buttigieg responds to Rush Limbaugh comments
