Pete Buttigieg says he's 'not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson' over his paternity leave
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday he's "not going to apologize" to Tucker Carlson — or anyone — after the Fox News host mocked his recent paternity leave.
Buttigieg announced over the summer that he and his husband Chasten had welcomed twins, and Politico reported this past week that the transportation secretary had been on paternity leave since the middle of August. Carlson on his Fox show mocked Buttigieg over this, saying he was "trying to figure out how to breastfeed — no word on how that went."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"As you might imagine, we're bottle feeding, and doing it at all hours of the day and night," Buttigieg said. "And I'm not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson or anyone else for taking care of my premature newborn infant twins."
Buttigieg went on to say that he and his husband were doing "joyful, fulfilling, wonderful work," and "work that every American ought to be able to do when they welcome a new child into their family." Previously, Buttigieg told MSNBC that these attitudes espoused by people like Carlson come from "dark places," but that "this doesn't speak for the country."
When Tapper asked Buttigieg why he didn't officially announce his paternity leave or appoint an acting secretary, Buttigieg said that even while he was on leave, he was still "available 24/7."
-
Syria’s Kurds: abandoned by their US allyTalking Point Ahmed al-Sharaa’s lightning offensive against Syrian Kurdistan belies his promise to respect the country’s ethnic minorities
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
5 highly hypocritical cartoons about the Second AmendmentCartoons Artists take on Kyle Rittenhouse, the blame game, and more
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
