Pence says Pete Buttigieg's 'quarrel is with the First Amendment'


Vice President Mike Pence again responded to criticism from South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, this time accusing the 2020 Democrat of not respecting the First Amendment.
Buttigieg and Pence, both of whom are from Indiana and are devout Christians, have been trading barbs in recent days, with the South Bend mayor on Sunday saying he wishes the "Mike Pences of the world would understand" that if they have a problem with him for being gay, then "your quarrel, sir, is with my creator." Pence replied that Buttigieg "said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally" and that he "knows better."
But Pence went a bit further in a new interview with CNN airing Friday, saying that Buttigieg's "quarrel is with the First Amendment." The vice president said he "considered [Buttigieg] a friend" and that he doesn't "have a problem with him." But "I hope that Pete will offer more to the American people than attacks on my Christian faith," he continued, adding that Buttigieg would "do well to reflect on the importance of respecting the freedom of religion of every American."
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.
Buttigieg has pushed back on this line of criticism before, telling Ellen DeGeneres that he's a critic not of Pence's faith but of "bad policies" and of "religion being used as a justification to harm people." He also explained he's not interested in feuding with Pence but encouraged the the vice president to "clear this up" by coming out and saying it "shouldn't be legal to discriminate against anybody in this country for who they are." Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot