A series of recent videos in which Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance mocked childless adults resurfaced on social media this week, sparking outrage among those on both sides of the political aisle.
In one video from 2021, Vance told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that “childless cat ladies” are running the country. He suggested childless people are “miserable at their own lives [and] the choices that they made” and they desire to “make the rest of the country miserable, too.”
He pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg as examples of citizens who “don’t have a direct stake” in the future of America because they do not have children.
This is not the only time Vance has talked down on childless people.
While speaking to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute in 2021, Vance suggested that parents should have more voting power than nonparents, arguing that those without children do not have an “investment” in America.
“Let’s give votes to all children in this country, but let’s give control over those votes to the parents of those children,” Vance said. “When you go to the polls in this country as a parent, you should have more power. You should have more of an ability to speak your voice in our democratic republic than people who don’t have kids. Let’s face the consequences and the reality. If you don’t have as much of an investment in the future of this country, maybe you shouldn’t get nearly the same voice.”
Vance’s comments triggered an onslaught of outrage.
Actress Jennifer Aniston said that she “truly can’t believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States.”
Conservative political commentator Meghan McCain said Vance’s comments “are activating women across all sides, including my most conservative Trump supporting friends.” She added that the comments “have caused real pain and are just innately unchristian.”
Vance’s comments suggest the country should adopt a two-tier system of citizenship in which those who haven’t produced children are placed on the bottom. Not only is this idea insanely un-American, but it is cruel. It implies that some people are better than others, and those who did not make the right life choices should be shamed and stigmatized.
While I doubt Vance’s comments were completely serious, they indicate a certain level of revulsion toward people with lifestyles that would not fit into a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel.
Moreover, these comments are troublingly reminiscent of the condescension and contempt that usually emanates from the political Left toward the cultural and economic American underclass. Expressing hatred toward “childless cat ladies” is no better than Hillary Clinton labeling half of Donald Trump’s supporters “deplorables.” Nor is it better than when President Barack Obama called rural people “bitter” and said they “cling to guns or religion.”
Instead, young conservatives need to recognize that childless adults are often victims of a predatory, economically unjust society that makes it exceptionally difficult to raise offspring with a high quality of living. The new generation of conservatives needs to help build a world in which young people can realistically provide for their families. Backing policies that lower the costs of housing and groceries and accelerate job creation would motivate childless Americans to become parents.
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Furthermore, conservatives need to be wary of alienating female voters. Poll after poll shows that young women are rejecting the Republican Party at an alarming rate. Although much of this is certainly motivated by abortion, the trend started before the Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision. The last thing Republicans need right now is for our leadership to give young women another reason to vote Democratic.
With the blessing of Trump, Vance has become the future of the Republican Party. However, as a party leader, he needs to outline a vision that would be inclusive of all people, not a select few.
Corey Walker is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter who focuses on institutional capture, education, and public safety.