Multiple clips of JD Vance’s past comments about women and women’s issues have resurfaced after he was announced as Donald Trump’s running mate on Monday. Vance has accused the media of misrepresenting his words, prompting Newsweek to compile exactly what he said.
Did Vance Say Women Should Stay in Violent Marriages?
Social media has been buzzing with a clip of Vance discussing the sexual revolution during an event at Pacifica Christian High School in Southern California in September 2021. Vice News published the footage in July 2022, showing his response to a question from the moderator regarding generational differences in attitudes toward fatherhood and marriage: “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 the Ohio Republican Senate nominee at the time, 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, he responded: “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.”
Vance continued, “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 reiterated his position on Tuesday in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity following the announcement of his new role. He stated, “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.”
Another quote drawing attention is from a 2021 interview with Spectrum News, where JD Vance was asked about his stance on abortion, specifically whether a woman should be required to carry a pregnancy to term after being a victim of rape or incest. Vance responded, “I think two wrongs don’t make a right. At the end of the day, we’re talking about an unborn baby. What kind of society do we want to have? Do we want to have a society that sees unborn babies as inconveniences to be discarded?”
He continued, “It’s not about whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term; it’s about whether a child should be allowed to live, even if the circumstances of that child’s birth are inconvenient or problematic to society. To me, the question is really about the baby.”
When Sean Hannity questioned him about this interview on Tuesday, Vance clarified, “The Democrats have completely twisted my words. What I did say is that, in this society, we sometimes view babies as inconveniences, and I absolutely want us to change that. I want us to be more pro-life.”
He also expressed support for Donald Trump’s abortion policy, which he described as “reasonable,” advocating for decisions to be made by voters in individual states.
