Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance's "childless cat ladies" comment about Kamala Harris has rubbed many the wrong way. Criticism poured in from various quarters, including Harris' stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, and actor Jennifer Aniston.
Now, a group of pet lovers and self-described "cat ladies" has responded to Vance's comments by throwing their weight behind Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. They held the latest in a series of Zoom calls.
JD Vance's original remarks, made during a 2021 interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, said the US was run by Democrats, "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they have made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too."
On Tuesday, a virtual gathering of prominent Democrats, hosted by Christine Pelosi and Nikki Fried, was held to denounce JD Vance's sexist remarks. The Zoom call had various participants, including former chair of the Democratic National Committee, Donna Brazile, and Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who appeared with their dogs.
The meeting, organised by the group 'Pet Lovers Fur Kamala', began with a slideshow of pet pictures set to ABBA's Dancing Queen, with a surprise appearance by Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi spoke on the importance of supporting women's freedom to "love how they wanna love, and live how they wanna live," as per the Guardian. She criticised Vance's comments, and said the "cat ladies are striking back," adding, "He didn't realise what an opportunity he was giving us, and what he would unleash."
Nikki Fried, former Florida commissioner of agriculture, warned that a Harris loss would lead to a nationwide embrace of extremist policies, citing her experience with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. "We have been living under Project 2025. We have been the lab rats for the Heritage Foundation," she said.
Christine Pelosi and the organisers provided tips on engaging supporters through social media, phone banks and volunteering for Kamala Harris's campaign.
Last week, JD Vance defended his "childless cat ladies" remark, saying they were meant to criticise the Democratic Party's stance on family and children, not individuals who choose not to have kids.
