Only days after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, from President Donald Trump, controversial talk radio host Rush Limbaugh launched an attack on Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg .
While discussing the results of the New Hampshire primary — where Buttigieg came in second — Limbaugh said that Trump would “have fun” with the former South Bend mayor, who “loves kissing his husband on debate stages.” The host concluded that Americans are not ready to elect an openly gay candidate, sparking intense backlash. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is now slamming Limbaugh, according to The Hill .
Defending her competitor in the Democratic primary race, Warren took to Twitter to blast the talk radio host’s attacks as “homophobic,” suggesting that Trump encourages bigotry.
“These homophobic attacks against @PeteButtigieg are hateful and offensive,” she wrote.
“We will not tolerate this in the Democratic presidential race, and we will fight together against the hate and bigotry that Donald Trump promotes and rewards.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden, himself a White House hopeful, also commented on Limbaugh’s remarks, suggesting that they reflect “the depravity” of Trump’s administration.
“Pete and I are competitors, but this guy has honor, he has courage, he’s smart as hell,” Biden said of Buttigieg, who would be the first openly gay president if he wins in November.
As The Hill notes, Buttigieg overperformed the polling in the controversial Iowa caucuses, winning more delegates than Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, but losing the popular vote. The former South Bend mayor exceeded expectations in the Granite State as well, where Sanders beat him by only a few percentage points.
Although Trump apparently saw nothing wrong with awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Limbaugh, he recently said that he would vote for a gay presidential candidate. In an interview with Fox News anchor Geraldo Rivera, the commander-in-chief said that he would not have a problem voting for a gay person to be president, noting that a certain “group” of people would probably not want to do so.
In an interview last year, when Buttigieg first rose to prominence, Trump said a presidential candidate appearing onstage alongside his husband is “great” and should be viewed as a “sign of great progress.”
Polling suggests that a majority of Americans agrees with Trump. According to a Gallup survey, 76 percent of Americans would vote for a gay or lesbian presidential candidate. Eighty-three percent of Democrats say they would vote for a gay man or woman to be president, and 61 percent of Republicans say the same.
