SouthernWorldwide.com – U.S. Vice President JD Vance has publicly acknowledged a controversial remark he made during his 2021 Senate campaign, describing it as “one of the dumbest things I ever said.” The comment, which targeted “childless cat ladies,” was made in reference to political figures on the left. Vance’s reflections on this remark are detailed in his new book, “Communion.”
During a 2021 appearance on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Vance stated that the country was being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made,” suggesting they wished to make the rest of the nation equally unhappy.
He specifically pointed to then-Vice President Kamala Harris, then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., questioning the decision to entrust the nation’s future to individuals without children, implying they lacked a direct stake in its outcomes.
It is noted that Harris has two adult stepchildren, and Buttigieg and his husband Chasten welcomed two adopted children in 2021. Vance’s controversial statement was met with significant backlash at the time.
In his book, Vance revisited the “childless cat ladies” jab, calling it “one of the dumbest things I ever said.” He admitted that the comment was intentionally provocative and ultimately unsuccessful in illuminating his intended point.
“The comment caused two firestorms: the first when I made it, the second years later during a political campaign,” Vance wrote, as reported by NBC News. He characterized it as a “boneheaded comment, intentionally (and successfully) provocative rather than illuminating.”
Vance won his U.S. Senate election in 2022 and assumed office in early 2023. In 2024, he was chosen by then-former President Donald Trump as his running mate, and he became vice president in early 2025.
According to NBC News, Vance recognized that the remark was “enraging” and acknowledged that it “had the added effect of distracting from the actual point I wanted to make, which was that our society is becoming pathologically hostile to having kids.”
He expressed that he could have conveyed this point more effectively by demonstrating more empathy towards Americans who, for various reasons, including those beyond their control, do not have children.
Vance, who is Catholic, also reflected on his faith’s teachings, stating, “When I consider the Church’s admonition to respect the dignity of every life, this was a clear moment where I failed.”
