U.S. Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance is learning the hard way the internet doesn't just love cats but also childless cat ladies, as comments resurfaced in which he claimed those without offspring were less fit to govern.
In a 2021 clip, Mr. Vance singled out Kamala Harris, now the Democratic presidential nominee, among others as he told Fox News that those who hadn't procreated, particularly "childless cat ladies," were "miserable" and had no "direct stake" in the country.
The comments have sparked a storm of scorn and accusations that the father of three represents an out-of-touch, sexist Republican mindset that has no place in the modern era.
"It would be funny if it wasn't so sad," Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told MSNBC, adding: "My God, they went after 'cat people,' good luck with that!"
If Ms. Harris, who has two stepchildren, beats Republican former president Donald Trump in November elections, she not only becomes the first woman President, but also the first woman of Black and Asian heritage, which has opened her up to a number of attacks along demographic lines.
While multiple Republicans have flagged her lack of biological children as an issue, her online "KHive" of fans has been running defense — via memes, indignation and supportive posts including from celebrities, politicians and members of her own family.
An outraged Jennifer Aniston pointed to her own infertility, which the actor has been vocal about in the past, while comedian and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg asked "Now, what the hell?"
'Just a basic fact'
The resurfaced 2021 clip shows Mr. Vance, then a U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio, telling Fox's Tucker Carlson that the United States was 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."
"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," Mr. Vance said.
"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?"
Mr. Buttigieg, who is the U.S. transportation secretary and adopted two children that same year, told CNN the comments were hurtful given an adoption setback he was facing at the time.
"He couldn't have known that, but maybe that's why you shouldn't be talking about other people's children," Mr. Buttigieg said.
Ms. Harris has two stepchildren, Cole and Ella, through her husband Doug Emhoff and his first wife.
Their mother, Kerstin Emhoff, said in a statement to CNN that the attacks on Ms. Harris were "baseless."
"For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I," she said.
"I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it."
Ella, age 25, who refers to Ms. Harris as "Momala," meanwhile wrote on Instagram that "I love my three parents."
"How can you be 'childless' when you have cutie pie kids like cole and I."
'Leaders should have children'
Ms. Harris supporters were quick to point out that no U.S. President has ever physically given birth, since all have been men. A handful have also never produced any offspring.
Chief among them was George Washington, America's first President who like Ms. Harris helped raise his spouse's children from a previous marriage.
Meghan McCain, daughter of late Republican senator John McCain, warned that Mr. Vance's comments "are activating women across all sides, including my most conservative Trump-supporting friends."
The focus on politicians' children comes as reproductive health and abortion access — topics Ms. Harris has championed — take center stage in this year's election.
"Political leaders should have children. Certainly they should at least be married," venture capitalist and Trump-endorsed former congressional candidate Blake Masters wrote on X.
"If you aren't running 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, Mr. Vance went so far as to suggest 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 unearthed by the Washington Post, adding "if you don't have as much of an investment in the future of this country, maybe you shouldn't get nearly the same voice."
Mr. Vance's campaign has since dismissed the comments as a "thought experiment."
