Pete Buttigieg Denounces Trump’s “Cruel” Deception Over IVF Promises to Families

Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay former Secretary of Transportation and a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, has issued a strong rebuke of Donald Trump’s recent campaign promises regarding IVF access. Buttigieg’s comments come in response to Trump’s repeated assurances to families, including those in the LGBTQ+ community, that he would expand support for fertility treatments if elected.

In a recent interview and subsequent social media posts, Buttigieg accused Trump of “cruelly deceiving” families navigating fertility challenges, stating, “It is simply morally wrong that Trump deceived people navigating fertility, especially those who rely on IVF to build their families” .

During the 2024 campaign season, Trump pledged to expand access to IVF and fertility treatments, claiming: “…under the next administration, families will have expanded access to IVF and fertility support” . However, critics—including Buttigieg—have pointed out inconsistencies between these promises and the actual policies advanced by Trump and his allies.

Recent policy documents associated with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint supported by many in Trump’s orbit, outline proposals that could restrict access to certain forms of contraception and defund organizations like Planned Parenthood, which provide crucial reproductive health services—including IVF referrals—to many families . Experts warn that ending taxpayer funding for such organizations could have an indirect but significant impact on IVF access, especially for marginalized groups.

For LGBTQ+ people, assisted reproductive technologies like IVF are often essential for family formation. Many transgender people, gay men, lesbians, and bisexual individuals rely on IVF, sperm and egg donation, and surrogacy to have children. Policies that threaten or restrict access to these services disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ families, who already face legal and financial barriers to parenthood. Buttigieg, himself a parent through assisted reproduction, emphasized this point in his critique, saying that “championing the right to IVF is about dignity and fairness for every family, regardless of who they are or who they love” .

National LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have echoed Buttigieg’s concerns, warning that any rollback of reproductive health protections could undermine the hard-won progress in family equality. They note that, while Trump has publicly stated support for IVF and contraception, his administration’s policy record and alliances with anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion activists raise doubts about the sincerity of these commitments .

Buttigieg’s statement has sparked renewed debate over reproductive rights in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections. Speaking on “Pod Save America,” Buttigieg suggested that Democrats should embrace policies ensuring universal access to fertility treatments, including IVF, and challenge Republicans to clarify their stances with concrete legislative proposals .

Some Republicans have pushed back, arguing that Trump’s campaign rhetoric reflects genuine support for family-building, while others acknowledge ongoing divisions within the party over issues like contraception and reproductive health. The Project 2025 document, referenced repeatedly in the debate, calls for rescinding rules that guarantee insurance coverage for certain emergency contraceptives and ending federal funding for organizations seen as supporting abortion—policies that critics say could undermine fertility care .

As the debate continues, families—especially those in the LGBTQ+ community—will be watching closely to see if policy proposals align with campaign rhetoric, and whether leaders like Buttigieg can mobilize bipartisan support for fertility equality.