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White House calls on Pence to apologize for ‘homophobic joke’
about Buttigieg
The White House on Monday called on Mike Pence to apologize for his remark that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had gone on “maternity leave,” saying that the former vice president’s “homophobic joke” at the Gridiron Club dinner on Saturday was “offensive and inappropriate.”
“The former vice president’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, all the more so because he treated women suffering from postpartum depression as a punchline,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “He should apologize to women and LGBTQ people, who are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Pence delivered the line Saturday evening at the annual Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, DC – an event bringing together some of the city’s most prominent journalists, and the government officials they cover. It traditionally features politicians making jokes about notable Washington figures.Buttigieg, who served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, while Pence was governor of the state, adopted twins with his husband, Chasten, in September 2021.
After announcing he would take two months paternity leave to be with his newborn son and daughter, Buttigieg received an onslaught of negative reactions from right-wing pundits.
“An honest question for you, Mike Pence, after your attempted joke this weekend. If your grandchild was born prematurely and placed on a ventilator at two months old - their tiny fingers wrapped around yours as the monitors beep in the background - where would you be?” Chasten Buttigieg tweeted Monday afternoon.
Pence’s former chief of staff Marc Short on Monday responded to the Biden White House’s statement with one of his own, saying that the administration “should spare America the faux outrage” and that it “would be wise to focus less on placating the woke police and focus more on bank failures, planes nearly colliding in mid-air, train derailments, and the continued supply chain crisis.
”During the dinner, Pence also took shots at Biden and several Republicans expected to run for president in 2024, even directing some blistering comments toward his former boss, Donald Trump.
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Re: White House calls on Pence to apologize for ‘homophobic joke’
In this week's episode of "Unfiltered," SE Cupp argues that former Vice President Mike Pence's crude joke about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg taking "maternity leave" shows a lack of compassion for a father of twins, a lack of support for adoptive parents and a lack of commitment to family values.
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Re: White House calls on Pence to apologize for ‘homophobic joke’
Spunky wrote:
In this week's episode of "Unfiltered," SE Cupp argues that former Vice President Mike Pence's crude joke about Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg taking "maternity leave" shows a lack of compassion for a father of twins, a lack of support for adoptive parents and a lack of commitment to family values.
Exactly….for starters, when Dads take time off after the birth of their children it’s called paternity leave. Parents need that time to bond and maybe get in to a routine that will allow them to get the rest they so sorely need to function…..thank you S.E. Cup for pointing out what the GOP is so unwilling to accept and support.
