Buttigieg dismisses Carlson's 'fake gay' claim as absurd, cites progress in political discourse

Pete Buttigieg dismissed Tucker Carlson's claim that he is a 'fake gay' who lied about his sexuality to boost his political career, calling the accusation absurd. The transportation secretary, who has been married to his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, since 2018, and who shares four-year-old twins Penelope and Joseph, said the assertion reflects a conspiratorial view of an issue that is no longer in line with how many Americans approach identity in public life. The remarks come as Carlson and others continue to amplify memes and rumors online surrounding Buttigieg's personal life.

During a discussion with Kara Swisher for her podcast, Buttigieg laughed off the allegation and framed it as a sign of progress that the conspiracy centers on his sexuality. 'I suppose it's a sign of progress that their idea of a conspiracy is that I'm actually secretly straight,' he said. Swisher had joked that she was beginning to agree with Carlson on the so‑called 'fake gay' meme. Buttigieg added that his husband has threatened to revoke his gay card many times, and he teased that this was the latest installment. He also suggested he would rather not discuss anything with Carlson, later joking that his curiosity about the topic was morbid but ultimately dismissed.

The controversy comes amid renewed scrutiny of Buttigieg's role in Democratic politics and past VP considerations. In recent reporting, it emerged that Buttigieg was Kamala Harris's first pick as running mate for the 2024 presidential race, but she ultimately opted for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz because of the optics of his sexuality paired with Harris's identity as a Black woman and the potential challenges that pairing might have posed. Harris wrote in a memoir excerpt that Buttigieg would have been 'an ideal partner – if I were a straight white man,' and acknowledged that the decision to choose Walz reflected concerns about broad national appeal. 'Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk,' Harris wrote.

The discussion of Buttigieg's sexuality also touched on Carlson's framing of the interview in which he claimed to want to grill the former candidate with 'very specific questions about gay sex.' Carlson argued that a gay candidate might be a better fit for the Democratic ticket, a claim Buttigieg dismissed as unfounded and part of a broader political theater surrounding personal identity in national politics. The notes accompanying the coverage indicate that Harris and Buttigieg would later lose every battleground state in the 2024 race to a Trump–Vance coalition, a reminder of the high-stakes dynamics that often accompany identity discussions in U.S. politics.