Former President Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance was criticized after resurfaced audio captured him attacking American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and other teachers for not having "a single child" and for trying to "brainwash" children in their care.
A portion of Vance's comments was brought back into the spotlight on Tuesday by Heartland Signal, a Chicago-based digital outlet. NBC News later reviewed and circulated footage from the full event.
In October 2021, during a forum for Republican Senate candidates in Ohio organized by the Center for Christian Virtue, Vance offered his thoughts on how to make schools more accountable to parents.
And things got weird.
He said:
“I think our conservative idea is that parents and family should determine what children learn, what values they are brought up with."
“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. That really disorients me."
“Weingarten, who’s the head of the most powerful teaching 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.”
You can hear the audio—here shared by Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign—below.
Weingarten herself also commented on the audio, ripping Vance's sexist remarks while defending the educators she represents:
"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."
"Teachers who are in back-to-school mode right now help other people’s children every single day. Those who virtuously serve our communities should be lauded, not vilified. [Prayers] to our nation's educators."
You can see her remarks below.
Many joined her in criticizing Vance.
Vance's remarks underscore the level of mockery and scorn to which he has been subjected since going viral for multiple sexist and misogynistic statements.
In 2021, Trump's running mate told then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the country is run by “Democrats… corporate oligarchs… a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices they made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”
Vance's sexist remarks continued:
“It’s just a basic fact — you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?”
Earlier this month, amid heightened concerns about his hardline views against reproductive freedom—Vance was criticized for dismissing women’s concerns over abortion rights. When asked by Fox News personality Laura Ingraham for a response, he said "most suburban women care about normal things that most Americans care about."
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