Karoline Leavitt, a press secretary for former President Trump, defended Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as he faces criticism over past comments calling out Democrats who don’t have children.
“As a new mom, my heart aches for women who are unable to bear children. @JDVance words are being taken out of context and unfairly attacked,” Leavitt posted on social platform X.
In 2021, Vance made comments questioning if Vice President Harris is fit to lead since she does not have biological children. The remarks have recirculated in recent days, following his selection as Trump’s running mate earlier this month.
Leavitt posted a clip of Vance speaking at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, where he said his sentiment doesn’t target people who “struggled to find the right girl, find the right guy” or the people who “for biological, medical reasons … can’t have children.” Vance said his remarks were directed at Democrats who can have children but choose not to.
In the 30-second clip Leavitt posted, Vance did not name Harris, but his remarks earned him an invite to Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in July 2021. Vance, who was then campaigning for Senate, joined the conservative pundit to clarify his comments after they drew criticism.
On the show, he explained his comments, saying the country is run by Democrats and “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. And it’s just a basic fact,” Vance said at the time. “You look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)], the entire future of the Democrats is controlled people without children. And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?”
Vance’s comments have returned to the spotlight since Harris took over President Biden’s presidential campaign after he stepped aside, positioning her to clinch the party’s nomination at next month’s Democratic National Convention.
Harris, who is a stepmother to two adult children, has pushed back on the comments. Her campaign social media account posted another clip of Vance speaking at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, in which he says parents should have more of a say than nonparents in America’s democracy.
Vance’s comments also drew criticism from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg, who now has twins, said it was sad Vance made the remarks because he and his husband Chasten Buttigieg had recently gone through a “heartbreaking setback in our adoption journey” at the time. But he acknowledged Vance couldn’t have known that and said “maybe that’s why you shouldn’t be talking about other people’s children.”
Actress Jennifer Aniston also took to social media to share her thoughts, saying she “truly can’t believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States.” Aniston told Vance that she prays his daughter is “fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day.”