Pete Buttigieg says if Trump loses election and refuses to leave White House, he could ‘do chores’

Democratic candidate imagines scenario in which he becomes president but incumbent contests the result

Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has joked that Donald Trump could “do chores” were he to lose this year’s election and refuse to leave the White House.

Mr Buttigieg was speaking at a campaign event in Reno, Nevada, on Monday, when he was asked what he would do if Mr Trump did not accept a victory by the Democrats in November’s election.

The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, gained laughter and applause from the audience when he said: “If he won’t leave, I guess if he’s willing to do chores, we can work something out.”

While the election is due to take place in November, the inauguration ceremony will not be held until January.

Mr Buttigieg made a similar joke when he appeared on Bill Maher’s politics programme on HBO last month.

Asked what he would do as president-elect if Mr Trump contested the result, Mr Buttigieg responded: “Well, it’s going to be a little awkward when Chasten and I are moving into the White House.”

“But at the end of the day, there’s only one president,” he added.

After a delay caused by technical issues, it was announced earlier in February that Mr Buttigieg had won the support of 13 delegates in the Iowa caucus, narrowly beating Bernie Sanders who gained 12.

Over the weekend, Mr Buttigieg hit back against homophobic comments made by the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh about him kissing his husband on stage.

Mr Buttigieg told Fox News host Chris Wallace that he would not be lectured on family values by Rush Limbaugh or anybody who supports Mr Trump as the moral leader of the country.

Following his acquittal in the impeachment trial, Mr Trump celebrated by posting a video on Twitter joking that his presidency could go on beyond 2048, and has previously mused about serving a third term.