Appearing with Seb Gorka, JD Vance attacked Kamala Harris as part of a “childless cabal of people who don't really care about the future”

Written by Eric Hananoki

Published

Sen. JD Vance, the conservative commentator who is now Donald Trump’s running mate, complained about childless politicians with right-wing host Sebastian Gorka during a 2021 interview. Vance said: “Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC, all of these people. It's like a party where the next generation of leaders, none of them have kids. … The entire Democrat Party is like this childless cabal of people who don't really care about the future.”

Vance’s remarks, which were first resurfaced by reporter Jacqueline Sweet, are part of a larger set of remarks from him attacking “childless” people in the right-wing media. Notably, Vance attacked supposed “childless cat ladies” like Harris during a 2021 Fox News appearance. (In reality, Harris is the stepmother of two.) 

Media Matters has recently documented other instances of Vance making similar remarks. In one instance, Vance attacked journalists for being “miserable and unhappy” because their biological clocks have run out, and in another he claimed that the left’s “next generation leaders,” including “the Kamala Harrises, they don't have kids. And so there's this weird way where they want to take our kids and brainwash them so that their ideas continue to exist in the next generation.” 

Vance also made three appearances on Fox News in 2021 pushing the “childless” theme. 

All of those comments contradict Vance’s recent attempts in right-wing media to dismiss heavy criticism over his statements.   

These remarks also point to a larger phenomenon among Republicans and their right-wing media allies. Media Matters’ Matt Gertz observed that politicians like Vance have spent years attempting to appeal to right-wing infotainers “but those figures are weirdos, and winning them over requires adopting their combination of bizarre fixations, paranoid conspiracy theories, and culture-war resentment politics — a toxic combination that Americans outside the right-wing media bubble find deeply off-putting.” 

Gorka is one of those figures. He has a history of toxic rhetoric, including calling for political retribution; pushing anti-Muslim bigotry; and promoting election denial. Gorka recently attacked Harris by stating: “She's a DEI hire. She's a woman. She's colored.” 

Vance appeared on the July 12, 2021, edition of America First with Sebastian Gorka. During that appearance, Gorka defended Vance from media criticism regarding his comments about children and birthrates. Vance took the opportunity to again excoriate people without children.

Vance stated: “Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC, all of these people. It's like a party where the next generation of leaders, none of them have kids. Right? And look, like, I understand some people don't have kids. There are health reasons. There are other reasons people don't have kids. But the entire Democrat Party is like this childless cabal of people who don't really care about the future.” Gorka replied, in part: “I'm so glad you mentioned that.” (Buttigieg and his husband became parents in August 2021). 

From the interview: 

From the July 12, 2021, edition of America First with Sebastian Gorka

SEBASTIAN GORKA: He [Vance] said the following, and this seemed to trigger The Washington Post, and here's a quote from our guest. “There are a lot of ways to measure a healthy society, but the most important way to measure a healthy society is by whether a nation is having enough children to replace itself. Do people look to the future and see a place worth having children in?” JD Vance, why is that such a bad thing to say, and who does it irritate?

JD VANCE: Oh, it irritates a lot of really crazy people. So first of all, I do think this is a really important issue, and the, you know, The Washington Post called me a white supremacist for actually having the courage to utter that. That, by the way, Seb, cost me, as you could probably appreciate, some business contacts. Like, when these people come after you, it's not idle. Right? These people have a lot of power, which is why it's so important to have courage and have friends in this movement. 

But, you know, what I find so disturbing about this is if you think about the modern Democrat Party, not the older guys, the Clintons, the Bernie Sanders, the Joe Bidens, but think about Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC, all of these people. It's like a party where the next generation of leaders, none of them have kids. Right? And look, like, I understand some people don't have kids. There are health reasons. There are other reasons people don't have kids. 

But the entire Democrat Party is like this childless cabal of people who don't really care about the future. And when you call that out, they get so alienated, and they get so angry at you that they just start throwing words like racist around. And I think that's what's really going on.

GORKA: But I'm so glad you mentioned that because somebody said, somebody was utterly excoriated for making the same comment about European leaders, about Angela Merkel, Theresa May that these are all childless, and it affects your politics. Well, how could it not affect your politics, JD?

VANCE: Absolutely. It's — you don't think about your investment in the community, in the nation in the same way if you know that your children aren't gonna inherit it. Right? I mean, one of the reasons I really care about this country, it’s not the only reason, of course, but a reason I really care about it is because long after I'm dead and gone, my children and grandchildren are still gonna be here. They're still gonna be trying to build a life here.

And the Democrat Party it’s a party of childless people. I think that affects their view of the future. Like you said, how could it not? But there's another thing that's just more disgusting going on here, which is the suggestion that American families should be stable and secure. The idea that it's a problem, that we don't have enough babies in our own country is racist. Like, what are these people talking about? It's so crazy. You can't even talk about real problems in this country without them labeling you a racist, and it makes it impossible to have a real conversation with these people. They're all just so psychotic.