Pete Buttigieg has reacted to Donald Trump’s comments about Ohio senator Jon Husted, describing the president’s focus on Husted’s appearance as bizarre and arguing that it distracts from issues such as petrol prices and war.
The former transportation secretary addressed the remarks during a get-out-the-vote rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Wednesday. Trump had recently praised Husted’s backside, hands and muscular build.
Buttigieg said it was unusual for a president to pay such close attention to another politician’s physical appearance. He suggested that Trump’s emphasis on looks was another way of avoiding matters that Americans are more concerned about.
Asked whether Trump believed Husted’s appearance could help win over voters, Buttigieg offered his own theory about the type of people the president chooses to surround himself with.
The discussion also turned to the role of sex appeal in politics, prompting Buttigieg to joke that he might need to spend more time at the gym himself.
He later took aim at Pete Hegseth’s macho public image, delivering what was described as a pointed Pete-on-Pete criticism during the conversation.
