Newly uncovered audio has sparked controversy over comments made by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Donald Trump’s running mate, regarding the role of women who no longer ovulate. The political news station Heartland Signal shared a podcast interview from April 2020 on Wednesday, in which Vance appeared to agree with a statement about the purpose of post-menopausal women.
During the interview on “The Portal,” hosted by Eric Weinstein, Vance discussed how his mother-in-law, Lakshmi Chilukuri, played a crucial role in raising his son by taking a yearlong sabbatical from her position as a professor of molecular biology to help care for the baby.
“It makes him a much better human being to have exposure to his grandparents,” Vance said, highlighting the importance of family involvement in child-rearing. Weinstein then made a provocative statement: “That’s the whole purpose of the post-menopausal female.” Vance responded with a simple, “Yes,” seemingly endorsing the remark.
The conversation took a broader turn as Weinstein referred to what he described as the “weird, unadvertised feature of marrying an Indian woman.” Vance explained how his mother-in-law’s decision to step away from her academic career to support her daughter was not motivated by economic efficiency but by a deeper commitment to family values.
Weinstein asked, “A biology professor, PhD, drops what they’re doing to immediately tend to the needs of a new mother with her infant?” Vance confirmed this characterization, acknowledging that while it may not make fiscal sense—given that Chilukuri could have simply provided financial support for childcare—it was a choice rooted in traditional values.
Vance criticized what he called “hyper-liberalized economics,” arguing that prioritizing paid wage labor over other forms of societal contribution is a consequence of liberal ideologies that, in his view, are unsustainable. “The economic logic of always prioritizing paid wage labor over other ways of contributing to society…it’s actually a consequence of a sort of fundamental liberalism that is ultimately going to unwind and collapse upon itself,” Vance said.
This latest revelation adds to a series of controversial statements made by Vance that have alienated various voter blocs. He has previously referred to childless Americans as “sociopaths,” mocked single women as “cat ladies,” and even managed to anger the Pokémon fan community by admitting he told his son to “shut the hell up” about one of its characters. In response to the resurfaced audio, former prosecutor and political commentator Andrew Weissmann tweeted on Wednesday, “It just gets worse,” reflecting the growing backlash against Vance’s statements.