Vice President Mike Pence believes Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg "knows better" about him than his comments criticizing Pence's records on LGBT equality and his faith indicate.
“He said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally," Pence, who was governor of Indiana when Buttigieg came out as being gay while running for reelection as mayor of South Bend, told CNBC in an interview airing Thursday. "He knows better. He knows me."
However, Pence said he understands, as there are "19 people running for president on that side in a party that’s sliding off to the left. And they’re all competing with one another for how much more liberal they are."
Buttigieg is expected to officially launch his campaign on Sunday. Last week, during an event hosted by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, he commented that he wishes "the Mike Pences of the world would understand, that if you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”
Shortly before Buttigieg came out, Pence signed a religious freedom bill that his opponents said targeted homosexuals. On Wednesday, while being interviewed by CNBC, he said he stands by his views on same-sex marriage, "but that doesn’t mean that we’re we’re critical of anyone else who has a different point of view."
Pence added that while he was governor, he worked "very closely with Mayor Pete" and that they had a "great working relationship."
Further, he said that while he was Indiana's governor, he implemented the Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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