Pete Buttigieg said President Donald Trump and his administration are paying “lip service” to the South Bend, Indiana, mayor's same-sex marriage given the president's policies toward the LGBTQ community.

At an event Friday night in Des Moines, the Democratic presidential candidate noted that Trump appeared to offer support when asked recently about Buttigieg's marriage to his husband, Chasten. Buttigieg then criticized federal policies impacting some same-sex parents and transgender Americans who serve in the military.

"Obviously, this one's pretty personal. ... The president was asked about my marriage so that he could have the opportunity to say he was 'fine with it.' That’s nice,” Buttigieg said, drawing laughter from a crowd at a Plumbers & Steamfitters union hall.

Buttigieg then referred to recent reports on a State Department policy that some same-sex U.S. couples say is de-recognizing their marriages, effectively denying their children born outside of the country automatic rights to U.S. citizenship. Buttigieg called it "discrimination."

“There’s talk and then there’s policy,” he said, before criticizing a Pentagon ban on transgender Americans serving in the military. Buttigieg served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014.

Buttigieg, who would become the first openly gay president if elected, has previously called out Vice President Mike Pence, the former governor of Indiana, for his opposition to same-sex marriage. Buttigieg said this week that Pence “advances homophobic policies.”

“As president, my goal is to make sure that every American enjoys true equality,” Buttigieg said.

Buttitgieg is on a two-day swing through Iowa, his fourth visit to the first-in-the-nation caucus state this year. He announced a formal presidential bid in mid-April.

At a house party Friday afternoon in Adel, Buttigieg offered a glimpse at his Iowa organization, formed since his visit to the state last month. Newly announced Iowa-based staffers and volunteers were spotted collecting information from visitors.

Buttigieg's visit comes shortly after he filled out his campaign website, providing more information on his policy positions, including support for a $15 minimum wage and free tuition at public colleges. Last month, some caucusgoers who saw Buttigieg in Iowa indicated they wanted more policy information from the 37-year-old.

Donna Emerson, a 65-year-old retiree from Urbandale said she scanned the new page before deciding to come to Buttigieg's Des Moines event. She described it as “thin” on details. But Emerson said she also liked Buttigieg because she believes he's honest.

“I’m primarily looking for someone’s character,” she said. “We have a dearth of moral character today in our current administration.”

Buttigieg defended his roll-out of policy ideas during an interview with reporters, and he highlighted his idea to expand the U.S. Supreme Court in order to depoliticize it.

"I think we're more specific in what we've put out than most of my competitors," he said, referring to a field that's ballooned to more than 20. "But I'm also looking forward to the opportunity to really drill down in certain policy areas where we think we can demonstrate what our priorities are or help to break new ground."

Buttigieg heads to eastern Iowa on Saturday, with scheduled stops in Iowa City and Dubuque.