JD Vance, former US President Donald Trump's running mate, has defended his 2021 remarks where he referred to Democratic politicians as a "bunch of childless cat ladies with miserable lives".
JD Vance, who appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show on Friday, said "Obviously, it was a sarcastic comment. I've got nothing against cats. People are focusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance of what I actually said."
"The simple point that I made is that having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother, I really do think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way," he told The Megyn Kelly Show.
"This is not about criticizing people who for various reasons don't have kids. This is about criticizing the Democratic party for becoming anti-family and anti-child," he said.
JD Vance had singled out Kamala Harris, now the Democratic Presidential nominee, among others during a 2021 interview and said those without offspring, especially "childless cat ladies", had no "direct stake" in the country.
Speaking to Tucker Carlson on Fox News, he had said the US 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."
Vance's comments have drawn sexism charges ahead of the US Presidential elections that the Republicans were touted to win until President Joe Biden bowed out from the race.
Kamala Harris's lack of biological children has been regarded as an issue by the Republicans, but she has received support from politicians, celebrities, and from her own family. Her supporters also pointed out that no US president has ever physically given birth, since all have been men.
Kerstin Emhoff, the mother of Harris' stepchildren, has slammed the attacks on the Vice President as "baseless" in a statement to CNN.
"For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it," she said.
Vance, 39, was tapped by Trump days after a failed assassination attempt on the former president upended what had already been a chaotic presidential contest.