JD Vance’s comments have sparked accusations of sexism

Former US President Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance has defended his 2021 comments in which he referred to Democratic politicians as a “bunch of cat ladies with no children and miserable lives.”

JD Vance, appearing on The Megyn Kelly Show on Friday, said: “Obviously, it was a sarcastic comment. I have nothing against cats. People focus too much on the sarcasm and not the essence of what I actually said.”

“The simple point I made is that having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother, I really think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way,” she told The Megyn Kelly Show.

“This is not about criticizing people who for various reasons don’t have children. This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child,” he said.

JD Vance had mentioned Kamala Harris, now a Democratic presidential candidate, among others during an interview in 2021 and said that those without offspring, especially “childless cat ladies,” had “no direct interest” in the country.

Speaking to Tucker Carlson on Fox News, he said the US was run by “a bunch of childless cat-loving women who are miserable with their own lives and the choices they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”

Vance’s comments sparked accusations of sexism ahead of the US presidential election that Republicans were widely expected to win until President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

Kamala Harris’ lack of biological children has been seen as a problem by Republicans, but she has received support from politicians, celebrities and her own family. Her supporters also pointed out that no US president has ever physically given birth, as they have all been men.

Kerstin Emhoff, the mother of Harris’ stepchildren, called the attacks on the vice president “baseless” in a statement to CNN.

“For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has co-parented with Doug and I. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it,” she said.

Vance, 39, was chosen by Trump days after a failed assassination attempt on the former president upended what had already been a chaotic presidential race.