Don't come for Democratic Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg unless he sends for you.
That's the message Buttigieg sent this week when he had a mic-drop of a response to QAnon adherent and Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's claim Buttigieg's promotion of electric vehicles was an attempt to "emasculate the way we drive"—which has to be in the pantheon of all-time most ridiculous quotes from a politician in history.
During an appearance this week on Fox News, where he's become well-known for expertly ripping Republicans' narratives to shreds, Buttigieg had the perfect retort to MTG's comment.
See it below.
\u201cTransportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg responds to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) saying he is trying to "emasculate the way we drive":\n\n"I literally don't even understand what that means. My sense of manhood is not connected to whether my vehicle is fueled by ... electricity."\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1664915284
Speaking for all of us when host Neil Cavuto asked for his two cents on the comment, Buttigieg said:
“I literally don’t even understand what that means. My sense of manhood is not connected to whether or not my vehicle is fueled by gasoline or whether it’s fueled by electricity.”
Yep, that about sums it up.
But Buttigieg wasn't done there.
He went on to say:
"You know, to be honest, there are other members of Congress that I pay more attention to when I’m thinking about opinions that really matter or ideas that are going to be critical to engage with.”
In other words...
Masterful.
And on Twitter, people absolutely loved Buttigieg's clapback at MTG's weird comments.
\u201cKeep this man on the air.\u201d— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1664916170
\u201cPete Buttigieg is so good at this\u201d— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) 1664919938
\u201cWay to not take the bait\u201d— Dr. Jason Johnson (@Dr. Jason Johnson) 1664940880
\u201c@therecount \u201cThere are other members of Congress that I pay more attention to when I\u2019m thinking about opinions that really matter.\u201d What a debate team way of saying \u201cShe\u2019s not worth my time.\u201d\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1664915284
\u201c@therecount @TheDemCoalition Pete has a very dignified way of scraping ca ca off his shoe.\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1664915284
\u201c@therecount Frankly I think was a slightly better screen cap. The look on @PeteButtigieg's face while listening to the idea that an #EV is 'emasculating' is ... priceless.\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1664915284
\u201cfellas \u2026 is it gay to drive your car?\u201d— gray (@gray) 1664974036
\u201cSecretary Pete just swatted Marjorie Taylor Greene away like a buzzing gnat and the disdain with which he dismissed her not-so-veiled homophobia is--pardon my mixing metaphors-- *chef's kiss* delicious.\nhttps://t.co/LcGEUtYVRh\u201d— Victoria Brownworth (@Victoria Brownworth) 1664936702
\u201cI love this - he refused to say she offended him. Because then it would have been all about how he\u2019s offended and not the issue of EVs. Well done.\u201d— Rachel Barnhart (@Rachel Barnhart) 1664918139
Greene's comment came at—you guessed it—a recent MAGA rally for former Republican President Donald Trump in Warren, Michigan in the state's Macomb County, home to many of the Detroit area's former automotive workers.
\u201cGreene: Democrats like Pete Buttigieg want to emasculate the way we drive\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1664657186
In a moment that would seem like a scene from an episode of VEEP in a normal country, she said:
"There's nothing more American than the roar of a V8 engine under the hood of a Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro, and the incredible feel of all that horsepower!"
"But Democrats like Pete Buttigieg want to emasculate the way we drive."
Thinly veiled homophobia while getting horny for sports cars...
Republicans sure are interesting.