JD Vance Urges Sympathy for Childless People After Saying They Have No 'Direct Stake' in the Country

J.D. Vance, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, talked about his controversial 2021 comments on "childless cat ladies" running the Democratic Party in a Fox News interview with Trey Gowdy. In light of the immense backlash in recent weeks, Vance softened his stance a bit but stressed that it's important to be 'pro-family'. He also acknowledged that not everyone can have children.

Back in 2021, Vance had argued that the Left was run by "childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made." He claimed, "So they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too," as per MSNBC. These comments resurfaced after Donald Trump picked the senator as his running mate. Many, including celebrities, criticized Vance for his words. Some Republicans too wondered if he was the right choice and speculation stirred if Trump regretted his choice.

On a recent Fox News show, host Trey Gowdy gave Vance a chance to apologize. Gowdy said, "Those of us who talk for a living make mistakes. We say things that, in hindsight, we might phrase differently, better, or not at all." Gowdy pointed out that many childless people love America and contribute to its future. He mentioned Catholic nuns, teachers, counselors, doctors, and lawyers who care for others' children. "Childless, dedicated to God, love this country, living lives of service to others."

He continued, "And it’s not just Catholic nuns, some of the finest people I know don’t have children: teachers and guidance counselors and lawyers and doctors. And they love other people’s children enough to teach, guide, protect, and minister to them." In response, Vance tried to explain his stance. He stated, "It's important for us to be pro-family as a country. Of course, for a whole host of reasons, it's not going to work out for some people. We should pray for those people and of course have sympathy for them," as per HuffPost. 

He also opined that his words were taken out of context. Vance insisted he was just trying to highlight the importance of having children. He argued that being a parent changes someone's perspective profoundly. Recently, in a conversation with Megyn Kelly, he stood by what he originally said. "The substance of what I said, Megyn - I'm sorry, it's true." He defended his comments as sarcasm and criticized the Democratic Party for being "anti-family and anti-children."

Vance's comments prompted a bigger debate. Jennifer Aniston, for instance, opened up about her challenges in trying to have children. "I truly can't believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States." Pete Buttigieg, another target of Vance's original comments, shared how hurtful the words were. He said, "The really sad thing is he said that after Chasten and I had been through a fairly heart-breaking setback in our adoption journey." Despite the backlash, Trump's campaign stands by Vance. Chris LaCivita, Trump's co-campaign chairman said, "JD was the best pick. The president loves him. We love him."