Rep. Derrick Van Orden Says Black Voters Aren't Ready for Gay President

Rep. Derrick Van Orden Black People Don't Want a Gay President!!! Published September 17, 2026 10:15 AM PDT Rep. Derrick Van Orden thinks the road to America's first gay president could hit a serious speed bump ... with Black voters. Charlie caught the Wisconsin Republican Thursday on Capitol Hill and asked him about Pete Buttigieg saying America is ready for a gay president ... a belief Mayor Pete says dates back to his 2020 run. Van Orden says a candidate's sexuality doesn’t factor into how he judges them ... but when Charlie asked whether the rest of America feels the same way, the congressman zeroed in on Black voters. He claimed that, statistically speaking, African Americans "are not ready to vote for a gay candidate" ... and said that could create a problem for Democrats, who rely heavily on Black support. Charlie asked if that means America could see a gay Republican president first ... and Van Orden said, objectively, yes. He pointed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent -- who is openly gay -- and argued Republicans care more about whether someone is qualified than their race or sexuality. Van Orden then contrasted that with Democrats, bringing up Kamala Harris and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as examples of what he sees as the party putting more emphasis on identity. Van Orden currently represents Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District and has served in the House since 2023. So, while Van Orden says he personally couldn’t care less who a candidate dates ... he thinks Black voters could make the path to a gay Democratic president a whole lot tougher. Related articles Derrick Van Orden Kamala Harris Scott Bessent Charlie Cotton Pete Buttigieg LGBT TMZ DC Politics Exclusive News