WSJ reporter 'perplexed' by Trump and J.D. Vance tripling down on attacks on women

Republicans continue to attack childless women as part of Donald Trump's re-election campaign, despite widespread criticism and a notable gender gap in polling.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders became the latest to join the fray, saying that her own children kept her humble but noting that Kamala Harris, who's the stepmother to two adult children, “doesn’t have anything keeping her humble," and CNN panelists are puzzled over the GOP's messaging.

"A campaign about the economy is pretty good for Republicans," said GOP strategist Brad Todd, who's working with Dave McCormick’s Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. "A campaign about border security is going to be good for Republicans, personal shots are not going to work out."

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J.D. Vance's remarks about "childless cat ladies" three years ago during a Fox News interview have permeated pop culture, not just politics, and helped drive down his support among women.

"The J.D. Vance comments on childless cat ladies and the various iterations, the whole of this conversation, has penetrated the culture in a way that a lot of the back-and-forth that we talk about here at this table doesn't punch through, right?" said host Kasie Hunt. "Like, this is something that a lot more people to talk about, like normal people are aware of, and that makes it a little different."

Pop superstar Taylor Swift posed for a photo with her cat for a social media post announcing her endorsement of Kamala Harris, which Wall Street Journal reporter Annie Linskey said was a good indicator of how deeply Vance's comments had become embedded in the discourse.

"Look, I think Democrats have done a very good job of embracing it, but I've been perplexed, as a political reporter, as to why Republicans continue to use this as an issue," Linskey said. "There are a lot of women who want to have children and, you know, access to things like IVF would help with that, and I think that, you know, it's been surprising that this conversation has continued to come up because there are a lot of, you know, a lot of Republican women who don't have kids. It is perplexing."

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