Vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said was being “sarcastic” in 2021 when he made comments that have now exploded across the media—in which he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats as “childless cat ladies” who have no “direct stake” in the future of the country—but doubled-down on the point of his comments, telling Megyn Kelly on Friday that Democrats have become “anti-family and anti-child.”
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, went on “The Megyn Kelly Show” to address 2021 comments of his that ... [+]
Trump’s running mate has received a tidal wave of criticism in recent days over the resurfaced comments, though he said on “The Megyn Kelly Show” it was “obviously sarcastic.”
But he also said the country has “become anti-family,” and “it is true that the left has become anti-child,” adding that “ it is simply true that it’s become way too hard to raise a family.”
Vance continued, saying he knows “the media wants to attack me and wants me to back down,” but that having children “changes your perspective in a pretty profound way.”
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“This is not about criticizing people who for various reasons didn’t have kids, this is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child,” Vance told Kelly. “I’m proud to stand up for parents and I hope the parents out there recognize that I’m a guy who wants to fight for you.”
The controversial clips of Vance criticizing Democratic leaders for not having children resurfaced earlier this week. In the first clip of a 2021 speech, Vance named Harris, Secretary of Transporation Pete Buttigeg, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as the next generation of people in the Democratic Party who don’t have children (Harris is a step-mother to two children and Buttigeg adopted twins shortly after Vance’s comments). After the speech drew criticism, Vance then went on Tucker Carlson’s show to defend it and named Harris, Buttigeg and Ocasio-Cortez again, saying the U.S. was effectively run “via the Democrats” by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable” and want to make others miserable, too.
Trump named Vance as his running mate last week at the Republican National Convention. Vance has struggled in polling: One CNN poll found he is the least liked non-incumbent vice presidential nominee after the party’s convention since 1980, and is the first to have a net negative favorable rating (-6). His policies lean heavily toward a pro-family agenda that offers government funding to couples with children and those who stay married—and tax penalties for the childless.