The White House has demanded an apology from former Vice President Mike Pence after he mocked Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg for his maternity leave.
Meanwhile, Chasten Buttigieg, Pete’s husband, shared a photo of Pete with their premature baby.
“An honest question for you @Mike_Pence after your attempted joke this weekend. If your grandchild was born prematurely and was on a ventilator at two months old – his tiny fingers wrapped around yours while monitors beeped in the background – where would you be?” Chasten wrote on Twitter along with the photo.
Buttigieg and husband Chasten welcomed twins Joseph August (named Gus) and Penelope Rose in August 2021
Over the weekend, at the annual Gridiron dinner in Washington, Pence said Buttigieg, who is gay, went on “maternity leave” while Americans struggled with flight problems in 2021. At the time, Buttigieg’s adoptive twins had been born prematurely and were suffering from health problems.
Buttigieg and husband Chasten welcomed twins Joseph August (named Gus) and Penelope Rose in August 2021.
The Secretary of Transportation came under fire when it was revealed he had taken at least three months paid leave while President Joe Biden tried to pass his infrastructure bill on Capitol Hill and America’s ports were mired in a transportation crisis.
“Pete is the only person in the history of mankind who has had a child, and everyone else gets postpartum depression,” Pence quipped over dinner.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre slammed the remark and demanded an apology.
“The former Vice President’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, all the more so since he treated women suffering from postpartum depression as a punch line,” she said in a statement. “He should apologize to women and LGBTQ people who are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”
The Gridiron dinner draws hundreds of journalists and politicians each year, and features skits and comedic speeches by notable guests. It also featured teasing from Democrats, including Sec. of the State Antony Blinken and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.
Pence’s former chief of staff, Marc Short, slammed the criticism of the comments as “false outrage”.
“The hypocrisy is particularly high considering her own Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, joked that he was longing for ‘the old days’ when ‘Jews did all the work,'” Short said. “The White House would be wise to focus less on placating the woke police force and more on bank failures, mid-air plane collisions, train derailments and the ongoing supply chain crisis.”
Pence joked at the Gridiron Dinner that Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg has taken “maternity leave”.
Pence’s joke about the transport secretary has been overshadowed by his bold criticism of former President Trump.
“President Trump was wrong,” Pence said. “I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone in the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable.
“History will hold Donald Trump accountable for January 6th,” Pence told the crowd of his former boss.
Pence also slammed those who downplayed Jan. 6 in an apparent jab at Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who obtained archival security footage from announcer Kevin McCarthy and aired nonviolent moments at the Capitol during his show.
Chasten, left, campaigned for his husband Pete Buttigieg after former Vice President Mike Pence attacked him for going on 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 shame,” Pence said. “And it makes a mockery of decency to portray it otherwise.”
Pence is believed to be gearing up to enter the presidential race in 2024.
He also commended the media for the January 6 coverage.
“We were able to stay at our post partly because you stayed at your post,” he told reporters covering the riot. “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.