Joe Biden unveils Pete Buttigieg as his transportation secretary pick and defends his record on diversity saying he's made NINE 'precedent-busting' choices

President-elect Joe Biden played up Pete Buttigieg's barrier-breaking role, as he officially named the openly gay, 38-year-old ex-mayor to lead his Department of Transportation Wednesday in Wilmington. 

Biden pointed out he had made 'eight precedent-busting appointments' so far. 

'And today a ninth,' the president-elect said. 'The first ever openly gay nominee to lead a cabinet department. And one of the youngest cabinet members ever.' 

President-elect Joe Biden unveiled Pete Buttigieg as his pick for secretary of Transportation at an event Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, where he played up that he's picked a cabinet of 'firsts' 

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who ran for the White House earlier this year, will make history if he's confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as the country's first openly gay Senate-confirmed cabinet member 

Vice-President elect Kamala Harris joined the Wilmington, Delaware event introducing Pete Buttigieg as the administration's pick for Transportation Secretary 

Buttigieg will be the first openly gay Senate confirmed cabinet official, if he gets the upper chamber's nod.  

'We will have a cabinet of barrier-breakers. A cabinet of firsts,' Biden said. 

Among the eight preceding Buttigieg, Biden pointed to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris - the first female, black and South Asian VP. 

Harris joined the event via videoscreen, as Biden said he didn't want her traveling to Wilmington during a snowstorm.  

Also, his Defense Secretary-designate Lloyd Austin, who will be the first black Pentagon chief, the first Latino head of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, the first South Asian OMB Director Neera Tanden, the first Asian-American U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, the first black leader of the Council of Economic Advisers, Cecilia Rouse, and the first female Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen. 

'I remember when President Clinton named the first ever woman to be secretary of State, I was there when President Obama named the first-ever black attorney general,' Biden recalled, referring to Madeleine Albright and Eric Holder, respectively.   

'It’s a cabinet that's battle-tested. Qualified. Experienced. Creative. Innovative. Forward-looking. And yes - representative,' Biden said. 

When it was Buttigieg's turn to speak at Wilmington's Queen theater, he talked about how he had a 'personal love of transportation ever since childhood.'

'More than once, as a college student, I would convince a friend to travel nearly a 1,000 miles back to Indiana with me on Amtrak,' Buttigieg recalled. 

'Though I know that in this administration I will be at best aspire to be the second biggest train enthusiast around,' Buttigieg added, a reference to Biden's reputation of being 'Amtrak Joe.' 

Buttigieg said, for him, that travel is 'synonymous with growth, with adventure, even love.'

'So much so that I proposed to my husband Chasten in an airport terminal,' Buttigieg said. 'So don't let anybody tell you that O'Hare isn't romantic,' he added referring to Chicago's bustling airport. 

Buttigieg also spoke about how his youth made him a barrier-breaker, noting that he's the 'first millennial invited to a seat at the table.'

He also said he hoped he would be an example to other LGBTQ Americans, recalling how he watched President Bill Clinton name the openly gay James Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg in 1999. 

Buttigieg said, at the time, he was years away from coming out - or thinking that a presidential appointment was something that could happen to him.

'At that age, I was hoping to be an airline pilot,' Buttigieg said. 

But he recalled how the appointment had been blocked by detractors in the Senate, though Clinton got it through using a rare recess appointment executive privilege. 

'I watched that story and I learned something about some of the limits that exist in this country when it comes to who is allowed to belong, but just as important I saw how those limits can be challenged,' Buttigieg said. 

'I'm thinking about the message today's announcement is sending,' he added.  

The Biden and Harris transition team confirmed that Buttigieg would lead DOT on Tuesday.  

The former South Bend, Indiana mayor started becoming nationally prominent when he ran to lead the Democratic National Committee in 2017. Current DNC Chair Tom Perez, backed by President Barack Obama, was ultimately successful. 

Then in January 2019, Buttigieg held a press conference at a K Street hotel in Washington, D.C. to announce the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president. 

While rivals pointed to his youth and inexperience, Buttigieg used generational change as his selling point.    

Buttigieg was the winner of the Iowa caucuses in February, becoming the first gay person to ever win a presidential contest in the U.S., but he didn't have the same fortune in the subsequent states of New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. 

Buttigieg was among the moderate Democrats who bowed out of the race and backed Biden before the pivotal Super Tueday primaries. 

This move cleared the way for Biden to best his opponent to the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders, consolidating the support of the Democratic center and ultimately clinching the nomination.  

After backing Biden, Buttigieg and his husband Chasten became powerful fundraiser and surrogates for the Democratic nominee.  

As the campaign was coming to an end, Buttigieg looked likely to get an administration gig as he helped now Vice President-elect Kamala Harris prepare for her debate against Vice President Mike Pence in October. 

Buttigieg had been rumored to be in the running to head Veterans Affairs, as he served in Afghanistan, or possibly ambassador to China, before the transition announced he would head the DOT. 

Under President Donald Trump another openly gay public servant, Richard Grenell, briefly held the cabinet-level position of Director of National Intelligence. The appointment was only temporary, so he wasn't Senate-confirmed.