JD Vance Faces Backlash Over ‘Childless’ Comments and Criticism of Educators
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has once again sparked controversy for his remarks targeting individuals without biological children. In a recently unearthed 2021 audio recording obtained by nonprofit Chicagoland radio station WCPT820, the Ohio senator criticized teachers and leaders who are not biological parents, particularly singling out Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers.
According to The Independent, During his speech at the Center for Christian Virtue conference, Vance disparaged “leaders on the left,” expressing discomfort with what he described as childless individuals influencing children’s education. “You know, so many of the leaders of the left, and I hate to be so personal about this, but they’re people without kids trying to brainwash the minds of our children. And that really disorients me and it really disturbs me,” Vance said.
Vance specifically targeted Weingarten, stating, “Randi Weingarten, who’s the head of the most powerful teachers union in the country, she doesn’t have a single child. If she wants to brainwash and destroy the minds of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone.” This comment was made despite Weingarten’s April 2023 disclosure that she is the stepmother to two daughters from her wife, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum.
In response to the backlash, a spokeswoman for Vance told TMZ, “J.D. clearly says in the audio that our leaders on the left, especially anti-child radical Randi Weingarten, who brainwash our kids, are deeply disturbing — and he stands by that statement.” Weingarten responded to X by sharing the clip and writing, “Gross! JD Vance’s comments are sad and insulting to millions of modern families, and school teachers including Catholic nuns, none of whom should be targeted for their family decisions.”
Another spokesperson clarified to People, “There are a lot of great teachers across the country, and JD’s criticism of Randi Weingarten’s actions is not about them,” emphasizing that Vance’s goal is to combat “leftist indoctrination in our schools.”
This is not the first time Vance has faced criticism for his views on childless individuals. In a July 2021 interview with Fox News, while still a Senate candidate, Vance claimed 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 and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.”
As per USA Today, He further mentioned prominent Democrats like Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as examples of childless leaders. Vance’s remarks have also extended to personal insults. In a 2020 interview on The Portal podcast, Vance appeared to agree with host Eric Weinstein’s characterization of his mother-in-law as a “postmenopausal female.”
However, Vance’s spokesperson, Taylor Van Kirk, later clarified that Vance did not agree with Weinstein’s comments, stating that Vance was responding to the first part of the host’s sentence, assuming it referred to the positive impact of spending time with grandparents. These statements have fueled ongoing criticism of Vance’s views on family and leadership, raising concerns about his suitability as a vice presidential candidate.
