Pete Buttigieg criticizes DeSantis campaign ad as ‘strange’.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Slams Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Advertisement

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg strongly criticized a recent advertisement released by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) that attacked former President Donald Trump for his support of the LGBT community. Buttigieg expressed his disapproval during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union.

“I’m going to leave aside the strangeness of trying to prove your manhood by putting up a video that splices images of you in between oiled-up shirtless bodybuilders,” Buttigieg began, after saying he can’t talk about campaigns as Transportation Secretary. “Who are you trying to help? Who are you trying to make better off? And what public policy problems do you get up in the morning thinking about how to solve?”

Buttigieg then highlighted his recent visits across the country, but refrained from discussing recent transportation disasters such as the bridge collapse over the Yellowstone River in North Dakota and the I-95 bridge collapse.

“I just don’t understand the mentality of somebody who wakes up in the morning thinking that he’s going to prove his worth by competing over who can make life hardest for a hard-hit community that is already so vulnerable,” Buttigieg said.

The DeSantis campaign did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.

DeSantis’ Presidential Nomination Battle

In addition to Trump, DeSantis is currently vying for the Republican nomination for president alongside other contenders such as Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Texas Rep. Will Hurd, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R), political commentator Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

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