Trump says having gay presidential candidate is 'great'

As Pete Buttigieg races to prominence as one of the top contenders in a crowded Democratic field

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump says it's "great" that a gay Democratic challenger, Pete Buttigieg, is in the 2020 presidential race.

A previously little known mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg has raced to prominence as one of the top contenders in a crowded Democratic field - and as the first major presidential candidate to be openly homosexual.

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"I think it's absolutely fine, I do," Trump told Fox News in an excerpt released on Thursday of an interview airing on Sunday.

"I think it's great. I think that's something that perhaps some people will have a problem with. I have no problem with it whatsoever. I think it's good," Trump said.

Buttigieg is married and if he won the White House - still a very big if - his husband Chasten would likely be known as the "first gentleman."

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Whether Buttigieg gets his party's nomination or not, his bid has already made him and Chasten the country's most prominent gay couple.

Trump, whose right-wing base is broadly hostile to gay marriage, has delivered a mixed message on his attitude to gay rights over the years.