WASHINGTON: Republican US vice-presidential candidate JD Vance is learning the hard way that the Internet doesn't just love cats but childless cat ladies as comments resurfaced in which he claimed the childless are less fit to govern .
In a 2021 clip, Vance singled out Kamala Harris, now the Democratic presidential candidate, among others, as she told Fox News that those who haven't procreated, especially “childless cat ladies,” were “miserable ” and have no “direct stake”. in the country.
The comments sparked a firestorm of scorn and accusations that the father-of-three represents a sexist, unhinged Republican mentality that has no place in the modern age.
“It would be funny if it wasn't so sad,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told MSNBC, adding, “My God, they went after 'cat people,' good luck with that!”
If Harris, who has two stepchildren, defeats former Republican President Donald Trump in November's election, she becomes not only the first female president but also the first woman of black and Asian heritage, opening her up to a series of attacks across demographics. lines.
While several Republicans pointed to her lack of biological children as a problem, her online “KHive” of fans defended herself — through memes, outrage and supportive posts, including from celebrities, politicians and members of her own family.
An outraged Jennifer Aniston revealed her own infertility, which the actor has spoken about in the past, as comedian and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg asked “Now what the hell?”
The resurfaced 2021 clip shows Vance, then a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Ohio, telling Fox's Tucker Carlson that the United States is run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are unhappy with their own lives and the choices they made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable.”
“It's just a basic fact — you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, the AOC — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without kids,” Vance said.
“And how does it make any sense that we've handed our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?”
Buttigieg, who is the US transportation secretary and adopted two children in the same year, told CNN the comments were hurtful given an adoption setback he was dealing with at the time.
“He couldn't have known that, but maybe that's why you shouldn't talk about other people's kids,” Buttigieg said.
Harris has two stepchildren, Cole and Ella, by her husband Doug Emhoff and his first wife.
Their mother, Kerstin Emhoff, said in a statement to CNN that the attacks on Harris were “baseless.”
“For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has co-parented with Doug and me,” she said.
“I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.”
Ella, 25, who refers to Harris as “Momala”, meanwhile wrote on Instagram that she “loves my three parents”.
“How can you be 'childless' when you have cutie pie kids like me and Cole.”
Harris supporters were quick to point out that no US president has ever given birth physically, since they have all been men. Also, one hand never produced offspring.
Chief among them was George Washington, America's first president who, like Harris, helped raise his wife's children from a previous marriage.
Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Republican senator John McCain, warned that Vance's comments were “activating women on all sides, including the most conservative friends who support Trump.”
The focus on politicians' children comes as reproductive health and abortion access — topics Harris has championed — take center stage in this year's election.
“Political leaders should have children. Surely they should at least be married,” Blake Masters, a former congressional candidate, venture capitalist and Trump supporter, wrote on X.
“If you don't run for office or can't run a household of your own, how can you relate to a constituency of families or govern wisely with respect to future generations?” he said.
In a 2021 speech, Vance went so far as to suggest that people with children should have more votes.
“When you go to the polls in this country as a parent, you should have more power,” he said in quotes uncovered by the Washington Post, adding “if you don't have such a big investment in the future of this country. , maybe you shouldn't get nearly the same voice.”
Vance's campaign has since dismissed the comments as a “thought experiment.”
