AND HIS DECISION TO COME OUT AS MAYOR AND LIVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
A LOT OF VOTERS CALL THIS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE MAYOR PETE BUT OTHERS ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THE NINE LETTERS AND THREE SYLLABLES THAT FOLLOW.
SO YOUR NAME, BUTTIGIEG, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE DONE ANCESTRY.COM OR ANYTHING, I DID THAT AND YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY FASCINATING THE STUFF YOU FIND OUT.
I'D BE CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR GENEALOGY AND YOUR HISTORY.
>> MY FATHER IMMIGRATED FROM MALTA, ONE OF THE SMALLEST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD AND DRAW A LINE FROM CICELY TO MALASIA AND IT GOES THROUGH MALTA.
IT HAS THE SAME POPULATION AS I LIVE IN ST. JOE, INDIANA.
OVER THERE, IT'S LIKE SMITH.
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST COMMON NAMES, SO MUCH SO THAT THERE WAS A -- I WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST PRESIDENT BUTTIGIEG IN THE WORLD.
THERE WAS A PRESIDENT BUTTIGIEG IN MALTA WHO WAS NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR WITH MY FAMILY BUTTIGIEG, AND THEY WEREN'T EVEN RELATED.
SO THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE NAME TIGIEG MEANS CHICKEN SO PROBABLY MEANS OWNER OF POULTRY OR LORD OF THE POULTRY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT IF YOU GO OVER THERE AND YOU YELLOW -- IF YOU GO IN A CROWDED DINER AND SAY, HEY, BUTTIGIEG, A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WOULD TURN AROUND.
>> HAVE YOU VISITED MALTA?
>> I HAVE, NOT IN A LITTLE WHILE BUT WE USED TO GO EVERY COUPLE YEARS.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL -- IF YOU EVER GET A CHANCE -- I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HERE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO GO.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
YOU ACTUALLY SEE A LOT ON TV BECAUSE IT CAN BE MADE TO LOOK LIKE ITALY OR GREECE OR THE MIDDLE EAST.
SO A LOT OF "GAME OF THRONES" WAS FILMED IN MALTA.
A LOT OF TIMES THEY SUB IT IN AS JERUSALEM OR THE MIDDLE EAST.
REMEMBER, WHAT WAS IT CALLED, "WORLD WAR Z" THAT ZOMBIE MOVIE, I LITERALLY WANDERED ON THE SET ON "WORLD WAR Z." I GO INTO A NEIGHBORHOOD AND SUDDENLY ALL THE STREET SIGNS
WERE CHANGED TO HEBREW AND THERE WERE ZOMBIES WALKING AROUND AND A ZOMBIE SMOKING A CIGARETTE AND EXTRAS WAITING FOR THEIR TURN.
>> HE'S THE ONLY CHILD OF TWO ACADEMICS, HIS MALTESE FATHER, PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, TAUGHT HIM THE IMPORTANCE OF WATCHING EVERY PENNY AND CLASSIC ROCK.
>> WHEN MY DAD USED TO TAKE ME TO SCHOOL, WE HAD A CHEVY CAVALIER, I'M PRETTY SURE HE LITERALLY WENT -- HE WANTED A NEW CAR BUT WENT TO THE DEALER AND LITERALLY SAID GIVE ME YOUR
CHEAPEST CAR AND SO HE GOT THIS TWO DOOR CAVALIER BUT IT HAD A TAPE DECK, WHICH BY THE STANDARDS OF MY DAD IN THE 1990'S WAS PRETTY EXTRAVAGANT.
AND HE HAD EXACTLY ONE TAPE, WHICH WAS COSMOS FACTORY, CREDENCE CLEAR WATER.
IT'S SUCH A GREAT PIECE OF MUSIC I DIDN'T MIND IT FOR PROBABLY ABOUT THREE YEARS.
IT WAS ALL WE EVER LISTENED TO WHEN WE WERE IN THE CAR.
>> AS MAYOR OF SOUTH BEPPED, INDIANA, BUTTIGIEG CAME OUT AS OPENLY GAN IN 2015.
AT THE CAFE TABLE HE DESCRIBED THE PROCESS THROUGH THE LENS OF HIS FAITH JOURNEY.
>> WHEN IT CAME TO COMING OUT, I KNEW I WANTED TO TELL OUR PRIEST SOONER RATHER THAN LATER BUT I WASN'T SURE HOW TO APPROACH IT.
BUT LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, ASKED HIM OVER FOR A CUP OF COFFEE AND TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND SAID THERE'S SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT.
AND FOUND OUR CHURCH, EVEN AS THE BIGGER ANGLECAN CHURCH HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH ACCEPTANCE FOUND HE WAS INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE AND MEANT A LOT WE HAD OUR WEDDING IN THE CHURCH
LAST YEAR AND WAS REALLY -- HE GAVE A WONDERFUL SERMON THAT REMINDED ME OF THE -- YOU KNOW, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEBODY YOU LOVE AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD ARE I BELIEVE THEY
TALK TO EACH OTHER IN A WAY.
AND IT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT MOMENT IN MY LIFE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THOSE TWO THINGS THAT I HAD BEEN LED TO BELIEVE MIGHT ALWAYS BE AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER AND INSTEAD SEE HOW THEY
CAN REINFORCE EACH OTHER.
SO STILL KIND OF EMOTIONAL TO THINK ABOUT IT.
>> BUTTIGIEG SERVED IN THE U.S.
NAVY RESERVE AND DID A TOUR IN AFGHANISTAN AS AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER.
>> OUR MISSION HAD TO DO WITH BLOCKING THE FINANCE OF DRUG MONEY GOING INTO THE FINANCING OF TERRORISM.
>> WHAT WAS YOUR INTERACTION WITH THE PEOPLE IN AFGHANISTAN?
>> A LOT OF IT WAS JUST THROUGH A WINDSHIELD BECAUSE WE'D BE ON THESE MOVEMENTS AND OF COURSE YOU'RE A TARGET SITTING THERE IN THE VEHICLE.
BUT THE GREAT THING ABOUT IT WAS BECAUSE MY JOB -- A LOT OF TIMES I CALLED IT MILITARY UBER.
MY JOB IS JUST A DRIVER.
BUT YOU WERE IN THE LIFE OF THIS CITY AND IT'S A CITY, YOU KNOW.
IT'S A NOISY, SMELLY, LIVELY CITY.
SO YOU WOULD SEE PEOPLE -- I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY WE IMAGINE WAR WHEN YOU JUST SEE IT ON TV, IN A PLACE WHERE THERE'S A WAR, ALL ANYBODY'S EVER DOING IS
FIGHTING A WAR.
WELL, THIS IS A CITY WHERE THERE'S A GUY WITH A WATERMELON OVER HIS SHOULDER COMING BACK FROM THE MARKET AND KIDS CROSSING THE STREET GOING TO SCHOOL AND BUSINESS PEOPLE.
IT'S A CITY.
THERE'S ALSO A WAR GOING ON.
YOU WOULD SEE THE ORDINARY RHYTHMS OF LIFE.
>> ONE OF THOSE RHYTHMS THAT DREW THE MAYOR IN WAS THE LOCAL BAZARRE WHERE HE LOVED TO HAGGLE FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE DEAL ON HAND WOVEN CARPETS.
>> NOTHING LIKE BARGAINING, TALK ABOUT POLITICAL TRAINING, BARGAINING FOR A CARPET WITH AN AFGHAN CARPET SALESMAN.
AND YOU KNOW, YOU'D HAGGLE AND B.S. WITH HIM A LITTLE BIT AND THEY'D JUST SHOW YOU CARPET AFTER CARPET AND YOU'D FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE THEY'D UNFOLD THE CARPETS AND THERE WOULD BE
A KID TO UNFOLD IT AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT THEY'D UNFOLD ANOTHER ONE AND YOU'VE GOT TO GET A NUMBER OUT OF THEM SO YOU'D GO THROUGH A RITUAL HALF AN HOUR AND FINALLY ADMIT YOU
KIND OF LIKE THIS CARPET BUT YOU TRY TO GET A NUMBER OUT OF HIM, BUT REALLY, HOW MUCH?
AND YOU WOULD SEE HIM LOOK AT THE CARPET FOR A LONG TIME.
BUT OF COURSE HE WASN'T THINKING ABOUT THE CARPET, HE WAS THINKING ABOUT YOU.
HE'S FIGURING OUT THE HIGHEST NUMBER HE CAN SAY THAT WON'T CAUSE YOU TO IMMEDIATELY LEAVE.
AND SO HE'LL SAY A NUMBER, 800 AND YOU GO OH, GOSH, I CAN'T, I'M JUST A LIEUTENANT, I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY.
HONESTLY, I HATE TO EVEN -- THIS IS PROBABLY INSULTING BUT I COULDN'T REALLY TWO MORE THAN $150 FOR THIS CARPET.
AND HE'D SAY IT'S MORE THAN I PAID FOR IT AND DON'T WANT TO EMBARRASS YOU.
AND YOU'D GO THROUGH A WHOLE RITUAL AND IT'S LIKE YOU'RE BOTH IN ON THE JOKE AS YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THIS BARGAINING PROCESS.
>> BUTTIGIEG SAID ONE OF THE BIGGEST LESSONS OF HIS KIND IN AFGHANISTAN IS MAKING HUMAN CONNECTIONS IS KEY.
>> AT EVERY STEP YOU'RE KIND OF INFORMALLY BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS TO TRY TO GET THINGS DONE.
EVEN TO GET A VEHICLE.
A BIG PART OF MY JOB WAS MOVING PEOPLE AROUND KABUL OR SOMETIMES WE'D HAVE TO DO A ROAD TRIP FROM KABUL AND BAGRHAM ON THE OPEN HIGHWAY.
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A BIG PART OF MY JOB I DIDN'T HAVE MY OWN VEHICLE SO I HAD TO BARGAIN FOR ONE.
>> INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, HE'S INVOLVED IN A NEGOTIATION OF ANOTHER KIND, TRYING TO WIN OVER FIRST IN THE NATION VOTERS.
>> WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE YOU VISITED IN NEW HAMPSHI