"I hate the police" J. D. Vance's past catches up with him

Disparaging remarks from Trump's running mate about "childless cat ladies", his disdain for Trump and other controversial changes of opinion call J. D. Vance's credibility into question.

There is great concern among Republicans. Donald Trump's running mate, J. D. Vance (39), is responsible for the unrest. More and more of his controversial statements from the past are coming to light.

A former fellow student at Yale Law School has forwarded around 90 emails and text messages to the New York Times, most of which she received from Vance between 2014 and 2017.

Friendship broke up three years ago

Sofia Nelson, now a public defender in Detroit, is a trans woman and says she and Vance were once close friends. However, she says they fell out in 2021 when Vance publicly announced that he supported a ban on gender reassignment care for minors in Arkansas.

Nelson hopes the emails will influence voters' opinion of Vance. In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, she explained that she misses the J.D. Vance of old.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Vance campaign said it was "unfortunate" that someone would share "decades-old private conversations between friends." "Senator Vance values his friendships with people across the political spectrum," the statement said.

Vance had openly admitted that some of his views from the past decade had changed after becoming a father and starting a family. He had explained in detail why he had changed his mind about President Trump. And, "Despite their disagreements, Senator Vance cares deeply about Sofia and wishes Sofia well."

What Vance wrote in his emails a few years ago is likely to make him uncomfortable today. In 2016, for example, he wrote that he could never support Trump because he was a "disaster". "He is simply a bad person. A morally reprehensible human being."

Vance also criticized the Republican Party, writing that it had "nothing to offer that is as attractive as the demagogue." By the demagogue, Vance probably meant Donald Trump, the one figure who attracts people's attention and support, while the Republican party as a whole has nothing to offer.

J. D. Vance: "I hate the police"

In 2014, he said the following about the police because of their brutal actions: "I hate the police. Given the negative experiences I've had in recent years, I can't imagine what a black man has to go through."

In December 2015, Sofia Nelson wrote to J. D. Vance that a Muslim friend had told her that women who wear hijabs no longer felt safe doing simple things like shopping at the supermarket.

Vance replied: "I'm obviously outraged by Trump's rhetoric, and most of all I worry about how welcome Muslim citizens feel in their own country. But I also think that people have always believed in crazy crap. (...) And there have always been demagogues willing to take advantage of people who believe in crazy crap."

In September 2016, he wrote to his colleague, "The more white people consider voting for Trump, the more black people will suffer. I truly believe that."

Repost of dolphin attack on woman

In February 2024, Vance posted a tweet showing a woman "being raped by a dolphin and enjoying it".

According to social media users, the problem with the post is that the words "woman" and "dolphin" were highlighted, leading them to speculate whether J.D. Vance was looking for dolphin pornography.

Rant on FOX News

Vance also made a name for himself in an interview with Fox News in 2021 with defamatory statements. "The entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. How can it make sense that we've given our country to people who have no direct interest in it?"

He also referred to women like Kamala Harris who don't have children as "childless cat ladies who are unhappy in their own lives and therefore want to impose "their misery" on the rest of the country.

J. D. Vance on "childless cat ladies".
Interview with Tucker Carlson on FOX News, 2021.

And further: "These people realize they're unhappy. They live in one-bedroom apartments in New York City and have spent their whole lives trying to win a status game. (...) They look at middle America and the people who are very happy with their lives and the choices they've made. They hate normal Americans for choosing family over these ridiculous status games in New York."

Vance's pride in his family

Vance also took a swipe at journalists: "The unhappiest people in the mainstream media are these mediocre journalists who find all their self-worth in their lousy jobs instead of their families."

Asked about his remarks from back then, Vance now said: "The thing you're most proud of is the fact that you have children."

He continues: "When I raised the issue that we don't have enough babies, many liberals and leftists said we could just replace American children with immigrants." He has nothing against immigrants, is married to the daughter of immigrants and has three children with her. "But when a society doesn't have enough children to replace itself, it's an extremely dangerous and destabilizing thing."

Poor poll ratings

Trump has hardly commented on the embarrassments of his running mate so far. He only defended Vance, who was mainly raised by his grandmother, on the subject of "cat ladies": "He grew up in a very interesting family constellation and thinks that family is a good thing. You can definitely say that, I think."

Not everyone seems to see it that way: Vance currently has the worst poll numbers of any vice presidential candidate. According to CNN, his popularity has fallen by six points since the party convention. In previous decades, this figure for the vice candidates averaged +18 points.

Even Trump's former high-ranking staffers are criticizing Vance. Alyssa Farah Griffin (35), communications director in 2020, warns of the "disaster" Vance, and: "There was obviously no vetting of J.D. Vance."

Trump stands by Vance

So far, Trump has stood by Vance and praised his "fantastic work". Replacing the running mate approved by the party convention would be complicated. Vance would have to resign voluntarily - or die. A new party conference would then have to be held at short notice.

Trump therefore has little choice but to put on a good face and present his running mate in the best possible light.

SDA