Sunday Snapshot: Vance continues to feel the scratch of "childless cat ladies"
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Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance holds a campaign rally at Radford University on July 22, 2024 in Radford, Virginia. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
It's been just one week since President Biden said goodbye to the campaign trail — and Vice President Kamala Harris' stepping into the party's spotlight sparked a tsunami of online, volunteer and donor support.
Meanwhile, former President Trump's VP pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, keeps feeling the wrath of childless women across the nation for his resurfaced comment about "childless cat ladies."
Here's what you missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, July 28.
1. Former DNC chair defends "childless cat ladies"
Former DNC chair and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile joined the chorus of "childless" women clapping back at Vance's 2021 comment and recent contention that Democrats are "anti-family."
Why it matters: Democrats — and some Republicans — have said Vance's rhetoric could alienate key swing voters who could tip the scales of a close election.
Driving the news: In response to the GOP senator's jab, Mike Pence's former press secretary Marc Lotter contrasted Harris and Vance, who he described as "very pro-family" on ABC's "This Week."
- He contended Vance was trying to say that "once you have children, once you have a family, you tend to view things a little bit differently than others."
Friction point: Brazile shot back, saying, "I never had one child, and yet I think I can claim hundreds of them because I love them. I want to protect them. I want to help feed them. I want to give them a head start and a healthy start."
- Americans without biological children have resoundingly pushed back against Vance's comments, which he addressed Friday on "The Megyn Kelly Show."
- "I've got nothing against cats," Vance said. "I know the media wants to attack me and wants me to back down, Megyn, but the simple point that I made is that having children — becoming a father, becoming a mother — I really do think it changes your perspective in a pretty profound way."
But Brazile pointed to the Heritage Foundation-backed Project 2025, which Trump has disavowed and tried to distance himself from (a strategy Vance has made difficult), noting that the blueprint, if enacted, would see Head Start eliminated.
2. Vance "best thing" Trump did for Dems: Schumer
Does Trump regret his choice of Vance as his running mate? Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) floated the idea in a rare Sunday interview with CBS' "Face the Nation."
What they're saying: "It's incredibly a bad choice. I think Donald Trump, I know him, and he's probably sitting and watching the TV, and every day it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic," Schumer said Sunday, referencing the barrage of negative stories about the VP pick.
- "Vance seems to be more erratic and more extreme than President Trump. And I'll bet President Trump is sitting there scratching his head and wondering, why did I pick this guy?"
- Schumer added that Trump choosing Vance "may be one of the best things he ever did for Democrats" and then suggested the former president has a few days to change his choice, should he want to.
Worth noting: While Trump has given no indication he is going to make a change, Vance has a negative 6 percent favorability rating in national polls, CNN reported last week.
- And some Republicans are frustrated with the choice.
3. "No, no, no ...": Sen. Graham on SCOTUS term limits
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) didn't mince words when asked if he'd support term limits for justices on the highest court. His reply? "No," times six.
Why it matters: Biden and his allies have taken aim at the right-leaning majority of the Supreme Court as recent controversial rulings and concerns over ethics violations have prompted calls for reform.
- Before he departed from the 2024 race, Biden slammed the Supreme Court as "out of touch with what the founders intended" in an interview with NBC News.
What they're saying: Speaking on "Face the Nation," the GOP senator said the current court has "brought constitutional balance back to the country."
- Graham said any reform initiatives would be "dead on arrival" in the Senate, accusing Democrats and Biden of wanting to "destroy" and "pack the court."
Flashback: The Supreme Court adopted a code of ethics for its justices last year after several reports of undisclosed gifts and other benefits sparked scrutiny.
- Senate Democrats led the charge to compel the court to create or adopt an ethics code.
- But some say the code does not do enough as questions about its enforceability remain.
More from Axios' Sunday coverage:
