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The gay U.S. Transportation secretary also shared a glimpse of his family life with his husband and two small kids.
Pete Buttigieg took center stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, delivering a powerful speech that highlighted the stark contrast between the Democratic vision of America and what he described as the “darkness” being sold by former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance.
The gay former South Bend mayor and current U.S. Transportation secretary also offered a glimpse into his personal life at home with husband Chasten and their two young children – a family makeup that he said seemed impossible less than a generation ago.
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“Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear myself saying,” Buttigieg began in front of a packed crowd at the United Center in Chicago. “I’m Pete Buttigieg, and you might recognize me from Fox News.”
The line drew laughter and applause, but Buttigieg quickly pivoted to the seriousness of the moment, adding, “I believe in going anywhere, anywhere in service of a good cause. And friends, we gather in a very good cause—electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz as the next president and vice president of the United States.”
Buttigieg wasted no time drawing a clear line between the Democratic ticket and the Republican contenders, targeting Trump’s rhetoric and record.
“Donald Trump rants about law and order as if he wasn’t a convicted criminal, running against a prosecutor as if we were going to forget that crime was higher on his watch,” Buttigieg said. He criticized Trump for betraying the very people he claims to champion, pointing out that “the only economic promise that he actually kept was to cut taxes for the rich.”
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He reserved some of his sharpest criticism for JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, who Buttigieg argued embodies a vision of America that is out of touch and exclusionary. “JD Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life that he has in mind for you, then you don’t count,” Buttigieg said. He recounted his own experience as a soldier deployed to Afghanistan, a time when he didn’t have children. “Many of the men and women who went outside the wire with me didn’t have kids either. But let me tell you, our commitment to the future of this country was pretty damn physical,” he declared, drawing a roar of approval from the crowd.
For Buttigieg, the choice in this election is not just about policy but about the very soul of the nation. “Choosing a guy like JD Vance to be America’s next vice president sends a message, and the message is that they are doubling down on negativity and grievance. Committing to a concept of campaigning best summed up in one word: darkness,” Buttigieg said. “Darkness is what they are selling. The thing is, I just don’t believe that America today is in the market for darkness.”
Instead, Buttigieg offered a vision of politics that is “empowering, uplifting,” and, as he put it, “even a kind of soulcraft.” Drawing on his faith, he reminded the audience that the world is not divided into good and bad people but that each person is capable of both.
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“Leaders matter because of what they bring out in each of us, the good or the bad,” he said, contrasting the negativity of the Trump campaign with the inclusive and hopeful message of Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.
Buttigieg spoke warmly of his home in Michigan, where dinnertime with his husband Chasten and their 3-year-old twins often feels more chaotic than political. “The makeup of our kitchen table, the existence of my family, is just one example of something that was literally impossible as recently as 25 years ago when an anxious teenager growing up in Indiana wondered if he would ever find belonging in this world,” Buttigieg said.
This, he emphasized, is what is at stake in the upcoming election—the ability to continue building a world where dreams that once seemed impossible can become an everyday reality for all Americans. “But that didn’t just happen,” Buttigieg reminded the audience. “It was brought about through idealism and courage, through organizing and persuasion and storytelling, and yes, through politics—the right kind of politics.”
Buttigieg argued that the kind of politics offered by Harris and Walz represents a better future for all Americans. “A politics that calls us to our better selves and offers us a better every day,” he said. He urged the crowd to reject Trump’s “politics of darkness” and to choose leaders who “are out there building bridges” rather than “banning books.”
As Buttigieg wrapped up his speech, the crowd erupted in cheers, energized by his call to action. “This November, we get to choose. We get to choose our president. We get to choose our policies. But most of all, we will choose a better politics,” Buttigieg declared. “This is what we will work for every day to November and beyond. So let’s go win this!”
