Trump's VP pick Vance stirs controversy with transgender remarks
What's the story
Republican Vice-Presidential nominee JD Vance has sparked a controversy after his comments on transgender and nonbinary people. Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Vance claimed that some white kids are incentivized to "become" transgender to get into Ivy League colleges. He claimed that for middle-class or upper-middle-class white parents obsessed with elite college admissions, being transgender is a way to enter the country's DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) bureaucracy.
Sports fears
Vance expresses concerns over transgender rights in sports
Vance also expressed his concerns about transgender rights in sports on the podcast. He spoke about his fears as a parent of his daughter competing against transgender athletes. "I don't want her going into athletic competitions where I'm terrified she's gonna get bludgeoned to death because we're allowing a six-foot-one male to compete with her in sports," he said.
Political predictions
Vance discusses Trump's potential support from 'normal gay' community
The podcast episode also had Vance talking about how Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump could win over the "normal gay" community. He said, "I won't be surprised if Trump won the normal gay guy vote because again, they just wanted to be left alone." This only adds to the controversy of his comments on transgender and nonbinary people.
Abortion discussion
Vance's views on abortion rights stir debate
The podcast also addressed abortion rights in the US, with Vance having dismissive views. He said women publicly celebrate their abortions by baking cakes and posting about it. Podcast host Joe Rogan disagreed with Vance's views on abortion restrictions, expressing concern over the six-week abortion limit and potential legal repercussions for women traveling out of state for abortions.
Abortion response
Vance responds to Rogan's concerns about abortion restrictions
Addressing Rogan's worries over abortion restrictions, Vance said he hadn't heard of any women being arrested for traveling to get an abortion. The episode also touched on the assassination attempt on Trump and climate change. Vance also joked about President Joe Biden's negative remarks about Trump, saying they could unintentionally help him win the election.