Democrat candidate Pete Buttigieg takes aim at Trump: 'I've never had to send hush money to a porn star'
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said the president told him not to apologise to the gay Democrat over homophobic remarks.
Wednesday 19 February 2020 11:05, UK
Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has said Donald Trump cannot lecture him on family values because he has never sent "hush money to a porn star".
The Democratic candidate, 37, was referring to homophobic comments aimed at him by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.
Limbaugh said America was "still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage", and also claimed Mr Trump told him not to apologise for his comments.
Asked during a CNN town hall event in Las Vegas on Tuesday night if he believes Mr Trump's recent claim that he would not be opposed to a member of the LGBTQ community serving as president, Mr Buttigieg said: "Well, not if he's sending out his supporters to talk in this way.
"And, look, I mean, the idea of the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Donald Trump lecturing anybody on family values.
"I mean, I'm sorry, but one thing about my marriage is it's never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her.
"So they want to debate family values? Let's debate family values. I'm ready."
Mr Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen is serving a three-year prison sentence after admitting paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal for Mr Trump, as well as other financial crimes and lying to Congress.
Mr Limbaugh said last week that Americans are going to look at Mr Buttigieg then look at "'Mr Man' Donald Trump".
"And they got to be looking at that, and they've got to be saying, that despite all the great progress and despite all the great wokeness, and despite all the great ground that's been covered, America's still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage president."
Other Democratic candidates came to Mr Buttigieg's defence, with Elizabeth Warren saying the attacks against him are "hateful and offensive", while Joe Biden said the comments are "part of the depravity of this administration".
In 2019, Mr Trump spoke directly about Mr Buttigieg's marriage, saying he has "no problem" with him being married to a man and thinks "it's good".
However, he said he thinks some people "will have a problem with it".
Despite allegedly telling Limbaugh not to apologise for his homophobic remarks, Mr Trump is the only president to have supported gay marriage before entering office.
A poll by American analytics company Gallup last month found more than three in four (78%) Americans said they would be willing to vote for a gay or lesbian person if they were a party's "well qualified" candidate for president.