US transport secretary Pete Buttigieg has been hailed a “hero” and “the best communicator in politics today” following a weekend appearance on Fox News.
Mr Buttigieg was asked by Fox News host Mike Emanuel on Sunday if it was “appropriate” for his husband Chasten Buttigieg to make fun of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on social media.
On Wednesday, Mr Kavanaugh had been escorted from a Morton’s restaurant in Washington DC after abortion rights protesters stationed themselves outside. The establishment told Politico that the group had violated his “freedom” to eat. Some on the right were outraged.
Mr Buttigieg said “when public officials go into [the] public” they need to anticipate criticism and protests.
“We should expect two things: One, that you should always be free from violence, harassment and intimidation. Two, you’re never going to be free from criticism or peaceful protest, people exercising their first amendment rights,” Mr Buttigieg said.
“Remember, the justice never even came into contact with these protesters, reportedly didn’t see or hear them,” he said of the incident last week. “And these protesters are upset because a right, an important right that the majority of Americans support was taken away”.
Mr Emanuel tried to interrupt the transport secretary on several occasions, but was unable to. Mr Buttigieg continued by saying that as one of six conservative justices who voted to overturn Roe v Wade, Mr Kavanaugh had taken away a woman’s right to choose while also “stripping away the right to privacy”.
On Twitter, millions of people have since watched the interaction between the Fox News host and the Democrat and lauded Mr Buttigieg’s response.
“I just watched Pete Buttigieg humiliate a Fox News anchor,” tweeted an academic from the University of California, Los Angeles, Dash Dobrofsky. “I like when Pete goes on Fox ‘News’ to debunk their talking points with facts, class, and common sense. Thank you Secretary Pete for not being afraid to challenge Rupert Murdoch’s disinformation machine.”
On a similar theme, Twitter user “Avenger Resister” joked: “Pray for Pete Buttigieg, he’s undergoing surgery to remove his foot from Fox News, Mike Emanuel’s ass.”
Another Twitter user argued: “Every time Pete Buttigieg dismantles a Fox News talking point, an angel gets its wings.”
“I love the fact the Fox keeps asking Pete Buttigieg to come back and make them look like the s*** slinging baboons that they are,” added another user. “It doesn’t matter which Fauxhead he’s talking to either It’s like the puppy that keeps running into to glass door But not nearly as cute”.
Others said Mr Buttigieg had shown that he was among the best political communicators and messengers both in the Democrat Party and the US as a whole.
“Buttigieg is perhaps the best communicator in politics today,” wrote Democrat strategist Robert Shum.
“Pete Buttigieg is a hero”, added Jon Cooper, a former staffer for US President Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
Podcast host Tyler Cohen said: “Pete Buttigieg is just so good at this.”
Chasten Buttigieg had tweeted on Friday: “Sounds like he just wanted some privacy to make his own dining decisions.”
