Pete Buttigieg Claps Back at Tucker Carlson Over Criticism of His Paternity Leave

Pete Buttigieg is firing back.

In a new interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, the 39-year-old U.S. Transportation Secretary responded to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who criticized Pete for being on paid paternity leave since August when he and husband Chasten Buttigieg welcomed twins Penelope and Joseph.

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“Pete Buttigieg has been on leave from his job since August after adopting a child,” Tucker said on his nightly political talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight on Thursday (October 14). “Paternity leave, they call it, trying to figure out how to breastfeed. No word on how that went.”

In his interview on Sunday (October 17), Pete said he’s “not going to apologize” for taking time off to be with his newborn twins.

“As you might imagine, we’re bottle feeding and doing it at all hours of the day and night,” Pete said on CNN.

“I’m not going to apologize to Tucker Carlson or anyone else for taking care of my premature newborn infant twins,” Pete continued. “The work that we are doing is joyful, fulfilling, wonderful work, it’s important work.”

Pete also fired back at Tucker on Meet the Press, saying, “When somebody welcomes a new child into their family and goes on leave to take care of that child, that’s not a vacation, it’s work.”