‘An epic fu*kup’: How Pete Buttigieg’s Response to Military Leaks Signals a Change in Democratic Strategy
Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter
Aggressive language. F-bombs. And claims that Trump can’t keep Americans safe.
There was a tidal change in rhetoric among Democrats this week after it was revealed that top national security officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, were using the encrypted messaging service Signal to text about upcoming military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
What they didn’t realize is that they had accidentally invited Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to the thread. “I didn’t think it could be real,” Goldberg wrote. “Then the bombs started falling.”
After the leak, bipartisan outrage ensued. “How in the Hell could this happen?” asked former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. “A conversation like this … has to be done in a secure room at the White House or on a secure line.”
Perhaps the most viral moment came from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who took to Instagram to voice his outrage: “To see this administration claiming that it cares about competence and merit, and then be responsible for an epic fuckup like this, demonstrates that these are not serious people,” Buttigieg, who was an intelligence officer for seven years, told his 2.2 million followers.
“I know Americans who lost their lives because of intelligence failures. … If there are not highly serious consequences for this level of screw-up, then it will make clear that all of the bluster about merit that you hear about from this White House is just bullshit. We deserve so much better than this. It is getting clearer by the day that the people in charge of the American government cannot keep the American people safe. We gotta do better.”
Buttigieg’s atypical use of aggressive language, and notably curse words like fuckup and bullshit, may represent a response to recent polls that show the Democratic Party has reached an all-time low in popularity and that voters want the Dems to fight Trump harder, even at the risk of not getting things done.
At a time when many parts of the LGBTQ community are being erased, a bit more aggression and forceful rhetoric will be refreshing and appreciated by many queer folks who are afraid for their lives and pleading for officials to step up.
To have the first openly gay Cabinet secretary in U.S. history be the one to spearhead this pushback feels correct.
Trump Administration Cancels At Least 68 Grants Focused On LGBTQ Health Questions (AP News)
A surge of grant cancellations hit researchers focused on the health of gay, lesbian and transgender people last week, as the Trump administration continues to target what it describes as ideologically driven science.
How A Shelter Hit By Trump's Aid Cuts Protects LGBTQ Migrants In Mexico (NBC News)
Casa Frida, which aids LGBTQ migrants fleeing identity-based violence, lost 60% of its funds after Trump ordered the suspension of foreign assistance programs.
‘This Is Injustice’: Inside Trump’s Attack On Funding For LGBTQ Arts (The Guardian)
The president has demanded that the National Endowment for the Arts denies grants to projects promoting ‘gender ideology’, leading to protest and legal action
Buttigieg Assails Leak as ‘Highest Level of F‑‑‑up Imaginable’ (The Hill)
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg slammed Trump administration officials for reportedly discussing plans for an attack against Houthi rebels in Yemen on a text chain that inadvertently included The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Why Dads Take Their Gay Sons To Hooters (The New York Times)
We are thrilled to share that our story looking at PrEP access for LGBTQ people of color in the Bible Belt, Unraveling the Urgent, Unspoken Struggle for Accessible HIV Prevention, was announced as a Neal Award finalist for Best Single Article earlier this week.
Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:
🆕 This weekend, Nico DiAlessandro and I look at how far-right influencers like Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes are preying on male loneliness to spread misogyny and extremism. By manipulating social media algorithms and disguising hate as self-improvement, they’re pulling young men into a dangerous pipeline—one that experts warn is fueling real-world violence. How are these influencers so effective and what can be done to stop them? Find out in our in-depth report this Saturday.
🆕 In an exclusive video interview, legendary sex advice columnist and activist Dan Savage joins us for a candid discussion on sex, stigma, and the cultural battles shaping modern intimacy. From the lingering effects of shame to the politics of pleasure, Savage breaks down why open, honest conversations about sex are more important than ever. Don’t miss it—dropping next week.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!
Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com
If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:
Not only is Buttigieg the first openly gay Cabinet Secretary, he is a Naval Reserves Intelligence officer for seven years and deployed to Afghanistan for seven months. He did financial counter terrorism and held a top secret security clearance. He knows more than most what was at stake by this horrendous breach.
Thank you!