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."
In a Sunday interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Buttigieg fired back at the Fox host while arguing for the importance of paid paternity leave.
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."
-
Why ‘anti-Islam’ bikers are guarding Gaza aid sitesIn The Spotlight Members of Infidels MC, who regard themselves as modern Crusaders, among private security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites
-
China: Xi seeks to fill America’s voidFeature Trump’s tariffs are pushing nations eastward as Xi Jinping focuses on strengthening ties with global leaders
-
Rebrands: Bringing back the War DepartmentFeature Trump revives the Department of Defense’s former name
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
