Pete Buttigieg says it’s ‘almost certain’ that there’s been a gay US president in the past

Screenshot/Axios

• Pete Buttigieg, a breakout 2020 Democratic candidate, said that it’s "statistically almost certain" the US has had a gay president in the past. 
• Buttigieg said he couldn’t be certain who the past president was because his "gaydar" doesn’t work, but said it was "statistically almost certain."
• According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, 9.8% of Washington D.C. identifies as LGBT, the highest of any US state.
• Buttigieg is a rising star in the leadup to the 2020 elections, with recent polls indicating that most voters find him more "electable" than many other more established Democratic candidates.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Pete Buttigieg, a breakout 2020 Democratic candidate, said that it’s "statistically almost certain" the US has had a gay president in the past. 

Speaking to "Axios on HBO" on Sunday, Buttigieg defended himself against critics who say he would be too young, liberal, or gay to be elected commander-in-chief. 

"People will elect the person who will make the best president," he said. "And we have had excellent presidents who have been young. We have had excellent presidents who have been liberal. I would imagine we’ve probably had excellent presidents who were gay — we just didn’t know which ones."

"Statistically, it’s almost certain," he added. 

According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, 9.8% of Washington D.C. identifies as LGBT, the highest of any US state. Gallup estimated that 4.5% of the US population identifies as LGBT in 2017. 

When asked whether he could point to historically which president may have been gay, Buttigieg said his "gaydar" was not well tuned. 

"My gaydar even doesn’t work that well in the present, let alone retroactively." he said. "But one can only assume that’s the case."

Pete Buttigieg is a rising star in the leadup to the 2020 elections, with recent polls indicating that most voters find him more "electable" than many other more established Democratic candidates.

Buttigieg would be the first openly gay nominee for either party. The 37-year-old said he and husband Chasten, who celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary on Sunday, would be open to raising kids in the White House. 

"I don’t see why not," Buttigieg said. "I think it wouldn’t be the first time children have arrived to a first couple."

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See Also:

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• How likable every 2020 presidential candidate is, ranked
• Mike Pence said the ban on US embassies flying rainbow flags for Pride Month is ‘the right decision’

SEE ALSO: Pete Buttigieg is running for president in 2020. Here’s everything we know about the candidate and how he stacks up against the competition.

Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Rosie Perper)