A Fox News host has come under fire after she told a contributor not to bring up Donald Trump’s alleged past infidelities during a conversation about Pete Buttigieg and his marriage.
Fox News’ Sandra Smith interrupted contributor Jessica Tarlov when she mentioned the president’s reported dalliances, telling her: “Let’s not bring in personal relationships.”
But that was a tall order considering the entire discussion was about Buttigieg, his marriage to his husband Chasten, and the homophobic criticism the Democratic presidential hopeful has fielded in his campaign.
Fox News host Sandra Smith told a contributor not to bring up Donald Trump’s marriages during a discussion about Pete Buttigieg’s marriage.
Fox News hosted the discussion after right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh commented last week that the United States was not ready for a gay president, and suggested Buttigieg kissing his husband could lead to children asking their parents uncomfortable questions.
During the panel discussion today, Tarlov called Limbaugh’s remarks “homophobic,” Newsweek reports.
“You see a loving, monogamous couple like Pete Buttigieg and Chasten, his husband, up there showing what is possible, that someone who is in a same-sex relationship could be running for president and doing as well,” Tarlov said.
Let’s not bring in personal relationships.
“And then they’re torn down by Rush Limbaugh, who’s been married four times I think.
“We have Donald Trump, three times married, cheated on all of those wives,” she added.
Bizarrely, Smith then interjected, telling her not to bring “personal relationships” into the equation. She proceeded to read out Limbaugh’s original comments, which were specifically about Buttigieg’s marriage.
Pete Buttigieg hit back at Rush Limbaugh yesterday.
Smith’s perplexing interruption suggests that it is perfectly acceptable to discuss and dissect a gay person’s relationship, but the same is apparently not true of a straight man.
The discussion comes after Buttigieg hit back at Limbaugh yesterday over his comments on his sexuality and marriage.
Buttigieg said he doesn’t take “lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh” after the right wing pundit asked how parents would explain a gay president to their children.
He told Fox News: “America has moved on and we should have politics of belonging that welcomes everybody.”
“That’s what the American people are for,” he continued, adding that he was “saddened for what the Republican party has become if they embrace that kind of homophobic rhetoric.”