During the Republican National Convention鈥檚 opening night, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) spoke to Fox News for his first interview as former President Donald Trump鈥檚 vice presidential nominee.
Sitting in the Fiserv Forum, the convention鈥檚 Milwaukee venue, Vance took questions from host Sean Hannity and addressed criticism about his previous comments on domestic violence, abortion, and his 2016 disapproval of Trump.
A couple of times, Vance accused the media of twisting controversial comments about violent marriages and abortion exemptions. We took a closer look at four of his claims.
Vance Mischaracterizes Biden鈥檚 Stance on Abortion
Vance addressed his own and Trump鈥檚 position on abortion. He described Trump鈥檚 position 鈥渢o let voters in states鈥� decide abortion laws as 鈥渞easonable,鈥� contrasting it with Biden鈥檚.聽
鈥淒onald Trump is running against a Joe Biden president who wants taxpayer-funded abortions up until the moment of birth,鈥� Vance said.
This is聽聽and misleads about how rarely abortions are performed late in pregnancy.聽
聽of abortions in the U.S. 鈥� about 91% 鈥� occur in the first trimester. About 1% take place after 21 weeks, and far fewer than 1% occur in the third trimester and typically involve emergencies such as fatal fetal anomalies or life-threatening medical emergencies affecting the pregnant woman.
Biden has said he supported Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion and was overturned in June 2022, and wants聽聽abortion access.聽
Roe didn鈥檛 provide unrestricted access to abortion. It legalized abortion federally but also enabled the states to restrict or ban abortions once a fetus is viable, typically around 24 weeks into pregnancy. Exceptions to that time frame typically were allowed when the pregnant woman鈥檚 life or health was at risk.
The Democratic-led聽聽of 2021, which failed to pass the Senate, would have effectively codified a right to abortion while allowing for post-viability restrictions similar to Roe鈥荣.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden聽, which says federal funds can鈥檛 be used to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest or to save the woman鈥檚 life. However, the amendment has continued to be included in congressional spending bills.聽
Vance鈥檚 Comments About Women in Violent Marriages
Hannity asked Vance to explain controversial 2021 comments about women staying in violent marriages.聽
鈥淏oth me and my mom actually were victims of domestic violence,鈥� Vance told Hannity. 鈥淪o, to say 鈥榁ance has supported women staying in violent marriages,鈥� I think it鈥檚 shameful for them to take a guy with my history and my background and say that that鈥檚 what I believe. It鈥檚 not what I believe. It鈥檚 not what I said.鈥澛�
The comments in question came from a 2021聽event聽Vance participated in at Pacifica Christian High School in California. In a conversation about his 2016 memoir 鈥淗illbilly Elegy,鈥� the聽 about his experience being raised by his grandparents, following his mother鈥檚 divorces and struggles with drug addiction.聽
鈥淲hat is causing one generation to give up on fatherhood when the other one was so doggedly determined to stick it out even in tough times?鈥� the moderator asked.聽
Vance talked about the economic effect of men losing manufacturing jobs then discussed his grandparents鈥� marriage.聽
In his memoirs, Vance detailed his grandparents鈥� relationship and told a story about Vance鈥檚 grandmother pouring lighter fluid on his grandfather and striking a match after he came home drunk. She had previously threatened to kill her husband if he came home drunk again, according to a 聽published by The Washington Post.聽
Vance commended his grandparents for staying together, comparing it with younger generations.聽
鈥淭his is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that, like, 鈥榃ell, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy. And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, that鈥檚 going to make people happier in the long term.鈥櫬�
鈥淎nd maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though I鈥檓 skeptical. But it really didn鈥檛 work out for the kids of those marriages.鈥�
In response to a 2022聽聽highlighting the comments, Jai Chabria, a strategist for Vance,聽said聽.
鈥淭his is a comment that he made where he鈥檚 talking about how it鈥檚 important that couples stay together for the kids, that we actually have good kids first,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ll he is saying is that it is far too often the case where couples get divorced, they split up, and they don鈥檛 take the kids鈥� needs into consideration.鈥�
Vance鈥檚 Comments About聽Rape, Abortion, and 鈥業nconvenience鈥�
Hannity asked Vance to discuss his position on abortion, allowing the senator to address his past comments that have been criticized.聽
鈥淟et me go back to the issue of abortion,鈥� Hannity said. 鈥淎nd there was this article that said, 鈥極h, JD Vance said it鈥檚 inconvenient.'鈥�
Vance told Hannity, 鈥淭he Democrats have completely twisted my words. What I did say is that we sometimes in this society see babies as inconveniences, and I absolutely want us to change that.鈥�
奥别听濒辞辞办别诲听颈苍迟辞 while he was running for Senate in 2022. His opponent claimed Vance had said that rape was inconvenient, but we found that鈥檚 not directly what Vance said.聽
In a 2021聽interview,聽Vance was asked whether laws should allow women to get abortions if they were victims of rape or incest. He said society should not view a pregnancy or birth resulting from rape or incest as 鈥渋nconvenient.鈥澛�
鈥淢y view on this has been very clear, and I think the question betrays a certain presumption that is wrong,鈥� Vance said in 2021. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it鈥檚 whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child鈥檚 birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society. The question really, to me, is about the baby.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 note: This is excerpted from PolitiFact鈥檚 full coverage. You can read the .