Donald Trump appears to be obsessed with the fact that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg can ride a bike, and Buttigieg responded subtly on social media.
It started earlier this month when Trump blamed Buttigieg for the problems airports are facing during Trump’s second term, including massive understaffing that may have been exacerbated by Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) firing air safety workers.
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“When they took over, Buddha-dedge,” Trump said on May 8, mispronouncing Buttigieg’s name, “who has no clue.”
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“You know, he drives to work in his bicycle with his, with his, in all fairness, with his husband on the back, which is a nice loving relationship,” Trump said sarcastically. “But he didn’t have a clue. This guy… didn’t have a clue.”
Trump says Pete Buttigieg "has no clue. You know, he drives to work on his bicycle with his, in all fairness, with his husband on the back."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) May 8, 2025 at 5:52 PM
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At the time, it seemed like an attack on Buttigieg for being married to a man. Pete and Chasten Buttigieg have never ridden a tandem bicycle to work – Chasten Buttigieg never worked at the Department of Transportation – nor have they been spotted riding a tandem bicycle at all.
But Trump has said in the past that he doesn’t “feel good about” same-sex couples having the right to get married and that he’s “not in favor of gay marriage.” “I’m just for traditional marriage,” Trump said during his first campaign for president.
But then Trump brought up the topic again a week later in Qatar, this time not mentioning Buttigieg’s husband at all and just focusing on the bicycle while he ranted about how all of the problems airports are facing at the moment are former President Joe Biden’s and Buttigieg’s fault.
“Pete Buttigieg was the head [of the Department of Transportation] and he goes bicycling to work,” Trump said. “He takes a bicycle to work. Can you believe— he’s running the biggest air system in the world, and he takes a bicycle to work. What a— and they say he’s going to run for president. I don’t see it. Who knows, right? But I don’t see it.”
Trump: Pete Buttigieg… he goes bicycling to work. He takes a bicycle to work. Can you believe— he's running the biggest air system in the world, and he takes a bicycle to work. What a— and they say he's going to run for president. I don’t see it pic.twitter.com/3ISZi2XR0y
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 15, 2025
Buttigieg hasn’t spoken directly about Trump attacking him for riding a bike, but some people are saying that this social media post is a sly response to Trump.
“It’s a perfect Up North Michigan morning,” Buttigieg, who lives in Traverse City, Michigan, wrote. “Good day for a bike ride, eh?”
It’s a perfect Up North Michigan morning. Good day for a bike ride, eh?
— Pete Buttigieg (@petebuttigieg.bsky.social) May 15, 2025 at 3:05 PM
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Buttigieg has been a critic of the second Trump administration, especially on transportation policy.
“The flying public needs answers,” Buttigieg posted to Bluesky in February after several plane crashes occurred during Trump’s second term in office. “How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?”
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