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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday commented on the “strangeness” of a recent ad by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ campaign targeting 2024 rival candidate Donald Trump, claiming the former president “did more than any other Republican to celebrate” pride month.
The ad, which begins by citing Trump’s 2016 Republican National Convention pledge to “protect our LGBTQ citizens” before showing past interview responses from the former president on the subject, abruptly transitions to clips of commentators criticizing DeSantis’ policies for targeting those same citizens. The meme-heavy video depicts in a positive light the fictional serial killer Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, while also showing a bodybuilder posing on stage.
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Buttigieg was asked about the ad, which drew condemnation from the Log Cabin Republicans for “ventur[ing] into homophobic territory.”
“I’m going to choosemy words carefully — partlybecause I’m appearing assecretary — so I can’t talk aboutcampaigns,” began Buttigieg, the first openly gay Cabinet member. He then expressed skepticism that the ad had any real value.
“I’m going toleave aside the strangeness oftrying to prove your manhood byputting up a video that splicesimages of you in between oiled-up, shirtless bodybuilders, andjust get to the bigger issuethat is on my mind whenever Isee this stuff in the policyspace, which is, again, who areyou trying to help?” he said.
“Who are you trying to makebetter off?And what public policy problemsdo you get up in the morningthinking about how to solve?” Buttigieg asked.
As governor, DeSantis put his signature to — and has since sought to expand — the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibits educators in kindergarten through the third grade from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation, which DeSantis claimed was designed to prevent the “indoctrination” of students, led to school districts scrambling to find out which seemingly innocuous actions were now illegal, with teachers being fearful of their job security and students’ safety, as Rolling Stone reported last summer.
