Pence on Buttigieg’s criticism: He ‘knows better’

Vice President Pence on Wednesday responded to South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s recent criticism of him, saying the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate “knows better.”

“He said some things that are critical of my Christian faith and about me personally. And he knows better. He knows me,” Pence, the former governor of Indiana, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in an interview set to air Thursday.

Buttigieg recently took shots at Pence for his views on gay marriage.

{mosads}Buttigieg, who is openly gay, said over the weekend that he wishes “the Mike Pences of the world would understand that if you’ve got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.”

Pence noted that Buttigieg is trying to stand out from a crowded Democratic primary field. His wife, Karen Pence, made similar comments on Tuesday. 

“But I get it. You know, it’s look, again, 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 can be,” Pence said, according to CNBC.

Pence opposed legislation supporting gay marriage during his time as governor of Indiana and has received frequent criticism from the LGBTQ community for his views.

Pence noted that he “worked very closely with Mayor Pete” and that the two “had a great working relationship” while they were both working in the Hoosier State.

In a post on Twitter on Tuesday, Buttigieg seemingly referenced his previous interactions with Pence. 

People will often be polite to you in person, while advancing policies that harm you and your family. You will be polite to them in turn, but you need not stand for such harms. Instead, you push back, honestly and emphatically. So it goes, in the public square.

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 9, 2019