Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump defended his running mate’s statement about “childless cat ladies” that has sparked outrage and backlash.
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) called Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as other Democrats, “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives” in 2021, per a Reuters report.
Since a video of Vance making the comments resurfaced, political experts have said those comments may have jeopardized votes in the upcoming election.
In an interview on Fox News, Trump talked about Vance’s statement and his view of family.
“He made a statement having to do with families. That doesn’t mean that people that aren’t a member of a big and beautiful family with 400 children around and everything else, it doesn’t mean that a person doesn’t have — he’s not against anything. But he loves family. It’s very important to him,” Trump said.
Trump said Vance was raised by his grandmother in Ohio, had a tough childhood and was merely trying to express his appreciation for family.
“He grew up in a very interesting family situation, and he feels family is good. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong in saying that,” Trump added.
Watch the interview below:
Vance’s statement, however, didn’t seem true for Harris who has two stepchildren with her husband, Doug Emhoff.
Emhoff’s ex-wife called Vance’s words “baseless” and said Harris is a “loving, nurturing, fiercely protective” co-parent.