JD Vance bashes 'anti-family' Democrats but clarifies his past ‘childless cat ladies’ remark as sarcasm

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio) has addressed the controversy surrounding his past remarks about "childless cat ladies," labeling them as sarcastic.

Vance laid his focus on pro-family policies aimed to clarify his stance and shifted his criticism towards Democrats, whom he accused of being "anti-family."

Sen JD Vance on pro-family policies

Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance, reiterated that his remarks were not intended to criticize individuals without children but to highlight what he sees as the Democratic Party's anti-family stance.

"I explicitly said in my remarks despite the fact the media has lied about this, that this is not about criticizing people who for various reasons didn’t have kids," Vance said on 'The Megyn Kelly Show'.

“This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-children," he said.

He also criticized some Democrats' support for continued mask-wearing for young children and claimed Kamala Harris' campaign opposed the child tax credit, despite the US vice president's support for its expansion.

“It’s because they have become anti-family and anti-kid. And I’m proud to stand up for parents. And I hope that parents out there recognize that I’m a guy who wants to fight for you," Vance said.

Sen JD Vance addresses his 'childless cat ladies' comment on Democrat leaders as 'sarcasm'

JD Vance's original comments from 2021, where he described the country as being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too,” resurfaced, leading to a backlash.

"It’s just a basic fact — you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children," Vance said in the 2021 interview.

He clarified that his comments were "sarcastic," and added that being in the situation changes one's perspective.

"The simple point that I made is that having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother, I really do think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way," he said on the show.

Sen JD Vance's stance on IVF and his subsequent backlash

Democrats have also made an effort to connect JD Vance's statement about being "childless" to the rights of women to have children, particularly concerning IVF (In Vitro Fertilization).

In a 2021 appearance on 'The Charlie Kirk Show' podcast, Vance advocated for higher taxes on Americans, per ABC News.

His past remarks are being criticized by Democrats and celebrities alike.

Jennifer Aniston also slammed Vance on an Instagram post while referring to his 'Childless cat ladies' remark.

“All I can say is… Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day,” Aniston wrote in an Instagram post.

“I hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option. Because you are trying to take that away from her, too,” the actress added.

Buttigieg, the Transportation secretary, noted in an interview this week that Vance’s comments came after he and his husband, Chasten, had been dealt a setback in their effort to adopt, The Hill reported.

Sen JD Vance retorts back to critics over IVF issue

Vance took issue with Aniston saying, “You have Hollywood celebrities saying, ‘J.D. Vance, what if your daughter suffered fertility problems?’ Well, first of all, that is disgusting because my daughter is two years old."

“And second of all, if she had fertility problems – as I said in that speech – I would try everything I could to try to help her because I believe families and babies are a good thing,” the GOP senator added.

When it comes to his position on IVF, Vance said the goal should be to “make it easier for moms and dads to choose life if… they’re in a terrible situation where they have fertility problems.”