Vice President J.D. Vance did something this week that occasions headlines like “J.D. Vance Makes Weird Joke About Wife’s Role.”
The occasion was an appearance by the vice president at a plastics company in Michigan, where his wife Usha joined him on stage.
“I’m so proud to have her by my side,” the vice president said of his wife. “And here’s the thing, because the cameras are all on, anything that I say, no matter how crazy, Usha has to smile and laugh and celebrate it… I’m going to be good, though, honey.”
The Second Lady appeared to laugh at her husband’s joke, as did some but not all of the crowd. Before, Vance said that he thought Usha was “doing a great job” as Second Lady.
Vance: Here’s the thing. The cameras are all on; anything I say, no matter how crazy, she has to smile, laugh, and celebrate it. pic.twitter.com/KO36G1D7ju
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 14, 2025
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The appearance came the day after Vance was booed at an appearance at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
There were quite a few memorable reactions to what the vice president had to say:
This reeks of the whole misogynist “I got a silent, agreeable woman” trope so bad. No president or VP we’ve had in the past would ever have said this sentence on a public stage. https://t.co/ANm33uBQpt
— gildarik (bsky) (@Gildarik) March 14, 2025
every time he tries to be funny or personable it’s the scariest thing i’ve ever seen https://t.co/enJNGOFLpF
— Kylie Cheung (@kylietcheung) March 14, 2025
Hellbully Energy https://t.co/9cibCD6RBn
— Ben Stephens (@stephens_ben) March 15, 2025
this is a common enough kind of humor but I do not like it, even as a joke
It reminds me of the time I heard a sacrament meeting speaker joke about abusing his wife—he is not abusive and I don’t doubt it was no more than in jest, but it left a very bad taste in my mouth https://t.co/XEKpetRPxA
— Jared Cook (@jkimballcook) March 15, 2025
Can we get a welfare check for Usha? Things cannot be good for her at home.
— shibbywibby.eth ⛏️ (@_shibbywibby) March 15, 2025
In the Michigan factory’s speech, Vance vowed that U.S. manufacturing can rebound. He declared that ““We started a great American comeback” and that Trump’s policies will “make it easier and more affordable to make things again in the United States.”
In addition, about 50 protesters showed up outside the venue, to which Vance retorted, in the speech, “Don’t you all have jobs?… We want those people to get off the streets and back to work.”
Photo courtesy of X screenshot
