JD Vance’s sister has spoken out against the criticism he is receiving for calling certain women in the Democratic Party “childless cat ladies.”
Donald Trump’s running mate is facing a controversy after a clip resurfaced of him using the phrase on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight in July 2021. He was arguing that the U.S. was being led by people who did not have a “direct stake” in the future of the country.
Lindsay Lewis, Vance’s sister, has now hit back at the criticism and said he is a “testament to the women in his life.”
“JD was raised by some of the strongest women I know and went on to marry an incredibly strong woman in Usha,” she said in a statement provided to CNN via Vance’s campaign.
“The attacks from the media and Democrats that assume anything otherwise is vile.”
It comes after a social media report this week said Vance’s sister and mother had been told not to speak to the media.
An anchor at Cincinnati’s WLWT, Mike Dardis, wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a picture of him and Vance’s family: “In Middletown for the JD Vance rally. Just met his mother and sister. They are not allowed to talk with the media today. They told me they are proud beyond words.”
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Vance’s mother, Bev, accompanied him to the convention in Milwaukee last week and reacted emotionally to her son’s first speech as the nominee for vice president. Bev received a standing ovation from the crowd after her son talked about his mother and her overcoming an addiction.
“I’m proud to say that tonight my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober. I love you, Mom,” the senator said.
She was seen tearing up as she stood for the applause while the crowd chanted “JD’s mom.” His family also joined him onstage that evening.
Several of Vance’s comments about women, and his anti-abortion stance, have come under fire since he was announced as Trump’s running mate.
One of these is people claiming he said women should stay in violent marriages, sharing a clip of Vance discussing the sexual revolution at Pacifica Christian High School in Southern California in September 2021.
Vice News published the footage in July 2022, showing his answer to a moderator asking the question, in relation to his grandparents’ relationship: “What’s causing one generation to give up on fatherhood when the other one was so doggedly determined to stick it out, even in tough times?”
Vance, who was an Ohio Republican Senate nominee when the story first came out, said: “This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that like, ‘Well, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy. And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that’s going to make people happier in the long term.’
“And maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I’m skeptical. But it really didn’t work out for the kids of those marriages.”
When Vice News asked Vance for comment at the time, he answered: “I reject the premise of your bogus question. As anyone who studies these issues knows: domestic violence has skyrocketed in recent years, and is much higher among non-married couples. That’s the ‘trick’ I reference: that domestic violence would somehow go down if progressives got what they want, when in fact modern society’s war on families has made our domestic violence situation much worse. Any fair person would recognize I was criticizing the progressive frame on this issue, not embracing it.”
“But I can see that you are not a fair person, so rather than answer your loaded and baseless question, let me offer the following: I’m an actual victim of domestic violence. In my life, I have seen siblings, wives, daughters, and myself abused by men. It’s disgusting for you to argue that I was defending those men.”
Vance defended himself again after the video resurfaced, in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
He said: “Democrats have completely twisted my words here and, as you know, both me and my mom actually were victims of domestic violence. To say that ‘Vance is supporting women staying in violent marriages’—I think it’s shameful for them to take a guy with my history and my background and say that that’s what I believe, it’s not what I believe, it’s not what I said.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.