Pete Buttigieg Responds to Rush Limbaugh 'Gay Guy' Remark: 'I'm Not Going to Take Lectures on Family Values' From Him

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg responded to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh's Thursday comments claiming he can never be president because he has been "kissing his husband" on the debate stages.

The former South Bend, Indiana mayor told CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that he's not going to listen to "family values" lectures from Limbaugh following the remarks, which drew bipartisan criticism.

Limbaugh referred to Buttigieg as a "thirty-seven year old gay guy kissing his husband on stage, next to Mr. Man, Donald Trump," in an attempt to argue America is not ready for a gay president. The comment came just eight days after President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to the radio host and staunch supporter of his re-election campaign during his State of the Union address.

"I love my husband. I'm faithful to my husband. We usually just go for the hug. But I love him very much and I'm not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh," Buttigieg, 38, told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday.

Limbaugh on Thursday claimed that "despite all the great wokeness and despite all the great ground that he's covered, that America's still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage president." The longtime controversial radio host used the opportunity to accuse Democrats of hypocrisy, claiming they aren't willing to fully embrace a gay man for president.

At a town hall in Las Vegas ahead of the upcoming Nevada primary, Buttigieg appeared to brush off Limbaugh's remarks, telling The Associated Press: "I'm proud of my marriage I'm proud of my husband."

When asked about Limbaugh's comments, Trump told Geraldo Rivera on WTAM news radio that he thinks Americans would vote for a gay man for president, but added: "I think there would be some that wouldn't. I wouldn't be among that group, to be honest with you."

Buttigieg also went on to address his consistently poor polling numbers among African-American and minority voters, with CNN's Bash warning him he did well in Iowa and New Hampshire, which she described as "overwhelmingly white states ... the race is about to get much more diverse."

Bash cited a Quinnipiac poll saying Joe Biden's support among black voters has fallen more than 20 points since he began his campaign, while Michael Bloomberg has tripled to 22 percent in support. Buttigieg holds about 4 percent of support from African-American voters, according to the survey.

"I'm not focused on poll numbers right now we're having conversation with voters ... many of the voters of color that I'm talking to are focused in particular on one thing: defeating Donald Trump. Nobody is experiencing the pain of living under this administration more than voters of color," Buttigieg said.

"I'm talking to a lot of highly pragmatic voters who want to know more than anything else that you can put together the organization and the message that will decisively defeat this president. We've got to get this right. This is a process of earning trust from voters who have every reason to be skeptical and many people of color have felt taken for granted by the Democratic Party."