Pete Buttigieg Proposes Chick-fil-A Compromise
One of the Democratic presidential candidates in 2020 has waded into a controversial issue that sets off strong reactions on both sides: whether or not Chick-fil-A should be boycotted.
The popular fast-food chicken chain has donated millions of dollars in the past to causes opposed to the legalization of same-sex marriage. In 2012, per Fox News, fans organized “Chick-fil-A Day,” in which customers flocked to locations of the chain nationwide in support of the company and its CEO, Dan Cathy, who had expressed opposition to same-sex marriage. Some mayors even tried to block Chick-fil-A franchises from opening in their cities.
With same-sex marriage now legal nationwide and the debate having receded, Chick-fil-A has been back in the news recently, with a report by ThinkProgress stating that the company still gives money to what it calls anti-LGBT causes.
Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a Democratic candidate for president in 2020, is openly gay and married. In a recent interview, Buttigieg was asked about the Chick-fil-A controversy, and he gave a surprising answer.
Appearing Tuesday morning on The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1, Buttigieg took a less-than-absolutist position on that controversy.
“I do not approve of their politics, but I kind of approve of their chicken,” the candidate said of the fast-food chain. “Maybe if nothing else, I can build that bridge,” he said about Chick-fil-A, somewhat jokingly. “Maybe I’ll become in a position to broker that peace deal.”
The candidate went on to talk about shared values, and how different people can learn from one another in that regard, which he considered an important thing to accomplish in the Trump era.
Pete Buttigieg, a fan of Chick-Fil-A chicken https://t.co/Ck7lR3zavo
— David Mark (@DavidMarkDC) March 26, 2019
Buttigieg, a 37-year-old former Naval intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan, would be both the first openly gay LGBT president as well as the youngest. In an extremely crowded Democratic field, the previously obscure Buttigieg has begun to stand out, impressing Democratic audiences with command of the issues and an original style.
"I do not approve of their politics, but I do kind of approve of their chicken." – @PeteButtigieg
The openly gay 2020 Dem candidate is torn over @ChickfilA's owner's statements on homosexuality, but says, if he becomes President, that maybe he can "broker that peace deal." pic.twitter.com/tLawq7HjSy
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 26, 2019
The Breakfast Club, in the early months of the 2020 Democratic primary, has emerged as a major stop for aspiring candidates, and more than one candidate has made news for their appearance on the show. Cory Booker, the New Jersey senator, talked about his relationship with actress Rosario Dawson, albeit without using her name (per The Inquisitr), while California Senator Kamala Harris’ comments about her youthful drug use, and the rap music she supposedly listened to while doing so, came on that morning show as well.
