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Why Did Taylor Swift Sign 'Childless Cat Lady' On Her Endorsement Post For Kamala Harris? J.D. Vance's 'Childless Cat Ladies' Comment And Its Memes Explained
Last night's tumultuous and meme-rich first presidential debate between the two official Republican and Democratic candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, also made pop star Taylor Swift announce her endorsement for Harris in an Instagram post signed as "Childless Cat Lady" – a reference to comments by Trump's running mate J.D. Vance.
Swift posed alongside one of her three cats, writing that she "was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation."
Her post, breaking her silence on the 2024 vote, was later commented on by Trump, who said: "Well, I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better … I was not a Taylor Swift fan … she'll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace."
Trump reacts to Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris: "Well, I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better … I was not a Taylor Swift fan … she'll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace." pic.twitter.com/J9Nk56nhEB
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 11, 2024
Donald Trump's response is a callback to Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes hugging during the U.S. Open annual tennis tournament, which received some backlash online, as some netizens allege Mahomes is a Trump supporter.
But how does all of this relate to why Miss Swift signed her Harris support with "childless cat lady"? Let's explain why J.D. Vance’s 2021 childless cat ladies comment caused a new array of memes and jokes related to cats and women who haven’t given birth yet.
Where Is The 'Childless Cat Lady' Meme From?
On July 29th, 2021, J.D. Vance stated the U.S. is being run by "childless cat ladies," naming Vice President Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during an interview for the Tucker Carlson Tonight show on Fox News.
The video resurfaced in late July 2024, after Vance was picked by Trump as his running mate for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election.
JD Vance says women who haven’t given birth like Kamala Harris are “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives,” and have “no direct stake” in America. pic.twitter.com/3DJY3pQTGe
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 22, 2024
How Is The 'Childless Cat Lady' Used In Memes?
J.D. Vance's controversial "childless cat ladies" quote inspired women to post videos and images featuring their cats under the hashtag "#childlesscatladies" to criticize the politician's comment about women without children.
Celebrities also joined the trend, like Taylor Swift, who recently signed her Harris vote endorsement with "childless cat lady" and actress Jennifer Anniston, who shared @RonFilipkowski's tweet in July 2024 via Instagram stories, featuring Vance's "childless cat ladies" quote, writing, "I truly cannot believe this is coming from a potential VP. All I can say is… Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day."
Even Elon Musk showed up on X to comment on Taylor Swift's post about her endorsement of Kamala Harris for President, indirectly mentioning the "childless cat ladies" quote by writing "Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life."
Musk's response was heavily memed and attacked by Swifties, Taylor Swift fans. For instance, on September 11th, 2024, X user @VLONEPREDATOR edited X's CEO's tweet over a scene from Smiling Friends.
https://t.co/LkoT1hVbRT pic.twitter.com/mMglh7gCdV
— Pilgrim (@VLONEPREDATOR) September 11, 2024
For the full history of J.D. Vance’s "childless cat ladies" comment, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
