WASHINGTON – Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance have found humor in the cottage industry of online speculation that has emerged around their marriage.
“I think we’re amused,” Vance said Thursday in an interview with NBC News when asked if he was frustrated by a recent series of tabloid-style headlines about the second lady appearing without her wedding ring.
“With anything in life, you take the good with the bad,” Vance added while sitting in his West Wing office, where photos of him, Usha Vance and their children line the tables around his desk. “You accept that there are some sacrifices and that there are also some very good things that come with them. But our marriage is as strong as it’s ever been, and I think Usha has really liked it, and it’s been great to see how she has developed and evolved in this new role.”
The gossip mill migrated from social media to the Daily Mail, People and other publications last month after Usha Vance was photographed with an unringed ring finger during a visit to a military base with first lady Melania Trump. A spokesperson for the second lady explained to both media that she is “a mother of three small children, who washes a lot of dishes, bathes a lot and sometimes forgets her ring.”
The vice president weighed in on the show with NBC News on Thursday when asked if stories like that had been hard on the couple, who married in 2014.
“It’s funny,” Vance said. “Actually, I don’t think it’s difficult.”
Vance told a more recent story from days earlier, when he and his wife were rushing to the White House before the second lady left for another event with Melania Trump. As Usha Vance got into the car, she realized she had forgotten her rings again after taking a shower.
“She told me, ‘Oh, if I don’t come back to get them, there’s going to be some ridiculous psychopath talking about it on social media,’” Vance recalled. “And I was like, let them. It’s not even worth running up the stairs. So we really had some fun with that. And we thought that whole social media viral cycle was kind of funny.”
As the second lady predicted, the missing ring did not go unnoticed. The Daily Mail and The Daily Beast were among the publications that published new headlines.
“There are certainly ways in which it is difficult for the family,” Vance said. “I’m not going to pretend it’s not. But it’s the sacrifice we committed to.”
Vance, a former Ohio senator, said his three children, ages 3, 5 and 8, have responded differently to their new life in Washington.
“I think there’s always a spotlight on children, and that’s good and bad,” he said. “Our 8-year-old son doesn’t really like it. He wants to have as private a life as possible. When we go to an event at the White House and he sees the cameras, he doesn’t love it, so we try to keep him out of the spotlight as much as possible. On the other hand, our 5-year-old son, who looks a little more like me, probably likes it too much. He loves the fact that everywhere he goes, people treat him very special. They always give him very special treatment. “Give him candy or cookies”.
Usha Vance, who rarely gives interviews, has carved out a more public role in the Trump administration by spearheading a program to promote literacy and child development. He has traveled all over the country to read with children and introduce them to his favorite books.
“I think when you’re in love with someone, you’re always kind of curious about what they’re attached to and what they’re interested in,” the vice president said. “It’s been amazing to see her really lean into this topic of childhood literacy. And I think that speaks highly of her.”
“I’m obviously very biased,” he added. “But it’s definitely given us a new adventure to pursue and we’ve both had a good time.”
