JD Loves Usha. So Why Isn't He Condemning Racism?
JD Loves Usha. So Why Isn't He Condemning Racism?
JD Vance is finally acknowledging that white supremacists are going after his wife. But that doesn't mean he'll do a damn thing about it.
One question keeps popping up in my mind as I watch JD Vance squirm in the spotlight: If he had to choose between his wife and Donald Trump, which one would he pick?
I’m not so sure the answer is crystal clear, despite his repeated public declarations of love for his wife. In a way, his devotion to his wife has already been put to the test, and I don’t think he’s coming off that well.
From the moment Usha Chilukuri Vance, an Indian American and practicing Hindu, stepped onto the stage at the Republican National Convention, she’s been the object of fascination. While she received a polite reception at the RNC, some right wing extremists immediately attacked her for her ethnicity and religion.
“What kind of man marries somebody named Usha?”
Among those having a fit is prominent white nationalist Nick Fuentes who ranted on his podcast: "What kind of man marries somebody that isn’t a Christian? What kind of man marries somebody named Usha? Clearly, he doesn’t value his racial identity, his heritage.” Another white nationalist Jaden McNeil, posted on X, along with a photo of Vance and his wife holding their new baby: “I’m sure this guy is going to be great on immigration.” As The New Republic aptly puts it, MAGA is entering “racist meltdown mode” over Vance’s wife.
So what has been Vance’s response to these vicious assailments against his wife and his marriage?
Crickets.
As The Hill reports, “Vance has not publicly condemned the attacks.”
But here’s a little news flash: He’s finally acknowledging these attacks exist! (Maybe he’s been too busy defending himself in the “cat lady” fiasco to address the issue?) He brought up the attacks—fleetingly—on the Megyn Kelly show last week when Kelly criticized MSNBC host Joy Reid for suggesting that he only valued white stay-at-home moms.
“I love my wife so much.”
“That’s so disgusting,” responded Vance. “I love my wife so much. I love her because she’s who she is. Obviously, she’s not a white person, and we’ve been accused, attacked by some white supremacists over that. But I just, I love Usha.”
I get it. I get it. He really, really loves his wife, who’s “obviously” not white. That’s a beautiful thing.
But so what?
Rather than using that moment to make a strong statement against racism, Vance pivoted. “She’s such a good mom,” Vance gushed to Kelly. “She’s such a brilliant lawyer, and I’m so proud of her. But yes, her experience has given me some perspective on the way in which it’s really hard for working families in this country.”
When he mentioned “her experience” giving him “perspective,” I honestly thought he was about to discuss the challenges faced by minorities in America. I thought he might offer empathy and insights into the immigrant experience.
I was mistaken.
Instead, he recast his wife’s experience as another example of the struggles of “working families.” (Query: Are the hardships faced by a high-power lawyer representative of those experienced by “working families”?)
Vance is dodging discussions about race or racism—though he backed Trump’s recent contention that Kamala Harris is an opportunistic Black person. (Trump said at the National Association of Black Journalists’ convention that Harris “happened to turn Black.”) Adding fuel to Trump’s fire, Vance called her “chameleon-like” and someone who “is not who she pretends to be.”
Instead of denouncing the toxicity of racism in America and his own party, he’d rather discuss how the Democrats are anti-child, anti-family, anti-fracking, and just anti-American. Among the strange, outrageous contentions he made on Kelly’s show was that Democrats advocate replacing American children with immigrant children—though he added, “nothing against immigrants; obviously, I’m married to the daughter of immigrants.” (Feel free to cringe.)
Once upon a time …
It’s hard to believe now but there was a time when Vance seemed thoughtful on a host of issues, including the menace of racism in Trumpworld. In 2016, he told Politico that “the Trump people are certainly more racist than the average white professional,” warning that Trump’s language can cause white people to “become more racist over time.”
And what does he think now? Does it matter to him anymore now that he’s vying for Trump’s base?
Sycophant or fearless leader?
On some level, he must care because the scourge of racism touches his own family. But besides dropping love bombs on his wife, how about this wild idea: Condemn racism. And he can start with his own party. That would be powerful. And it might even distinguish Vance as a leader, someone who can assume the mantle of the next generation of Republicans.
Alas, Vance is no leader; he’s the supreme sycophant. That’s probably why he got the coveted VP spot on Trump’s ticket. As the winning ass-kisser, he is trying hard to ape his boss—and that means tending the racists in his party with loving care, if not outright respect. If Trump won’t condemn the neo-Nazis (remember, he said that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the violent 2017 white nationalists rally in Charlottesville), why would Vance stick out his neck just because his beloved wife is the target of racist vitriol?
Which brings me back to my original point: isn’t Vance tacitly siding with the racists in Trump’s flock by not speaking up forcefully for his wife? For a guy who’s so big on the traditional family, it shouldn’t be that hard to do the right (and chivalrous) thing and protect the little woman in his life.
C’mon, JD, man-up.
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