Fact check: Did JD Vance say women should stay in violent marriages for the sake of their children?

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA: Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance has faced criticism over alleged comments suggesting that women should remain in violent marriages.

On Saturday, September 7, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris' campaign posted an unearthed video of the Ohio senator's reportedly controversial remarks from 2021.

JD Vance's viral claim of women

The controversy stemmed from JD Vance's comment at Pacifica Christian High School in Southern California in September 2021.

In July 2022, Vice News published a video featuring Vance responding to a question about generational changes in commitment to fatherhood, with some interpretations suggesting that he downplayed the severity of violent marriages which has now resurfaced amid his other controversial remarks about women.

What did JD Vance actually say?

In the footage, JD Vance, who was then the Ohio Republican Senate nominee, weighed in on the impact of the sexual revolution on American family dynamics.

"This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that like, Well, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy," he said.

Noting his skepticism about the benefits of such changes, particularly for the children involved, he said, "And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that's going to make people happier in the long term."

"And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I'm skeptical. But it really didn't work out for the kids of those marriages," Vance continued, according to Newsweek.

JD Vance’s response to the allegations

At the time, JD Vance responded to the allegations as he firmly denied advocating for women to remain in abusive relationships

"I reject the premise of your bogus question. As anyone who studies these issues knows: domestic violence has skyrocketed in recent years, and is much higher among non-married couples," he said.

The Ohio senator clarified that his criticism was aimed at the progressive narrative around family dynamics, arguing that the breakdown of traditional family structures has worsened domestic violence issues.

"That's the 'trick' I reference: that domestic violence would somehow go down if progressives got what they want, when in fact modern society's war on families has made our domestic violence situation much worse," he argued.

Following the renewed attention on his remarks after being chosen as Trump's running mate, Vance defended himself again during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.

Claiming that his critics misrepresented his statements, Vance said, "Democrats have completely twisted my words here and, as you know, both me and my mom actually were victims of domestic violence."