Fact Check: JD Vance Said of His Wife, 'Obviously She's Not a White Person'?

Claim:

Republican 2024 vice presidential candidate JD Vance once said about his wife, Usha: “Obviously, she’s not a white person … But I just, I love Usha. She’s such a good mom.”

Rating:

Correct Attribution ( About this rating? )

Context:

Vance was responding to claims he supported only white stay-at-home moms. His full comments were: "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. She's such a good mom."

Republican 2024 vice presidential candidate JD Vance faced ridicule on the internet for what many called a strange description of his Indian American wife, Usha Vance.

Many on social media highlighted a section of his interview with podcast host Megyn Kelly, in which he reportedly said of his wife, "Obviously she's not a white person … but I love Usha. She's such a good mom."

Vance did use the above words to describe his wife, Usha, but the posts are missing his full comments. He was addressing a question from Kelly who asked him to respond to claims that he only valued "white stay-at-home moms." Vance said his wife was "obviously not a white person" and said they had been attacked by white supremacists as a result. We therefore rate this claim as a "Correct Attribution" but in need of some context.

The exchange took place as part of a discussion on Vance's "childless cat lady" comments, when some people criticized him for being against working mothers. Vance defended himself by saying his "childless cat ladies" comment was sarcastic, and that he supported his wife in her own career. We have reproduced the full transcript of Kelly's question and Vance's response below:

Kelly: You mentioned Usha. [News anchor] Joy Reid in that montage of media reactions I played, suggested that what your comments get to is that: the only valid version of America is a white woman who stays at home. That's your position according to her, you only value white stay-at-home moms.

Vance: That's just so disgusting Megyn. 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. She's such a good mom. She's such a brilliant lawyer and I am so proud of her. But yes, her experiences have given me perspective in the way it's really hard for working families in this country.

The exchange took place at the 10:50 mark:

Vance has long been criticized for his comments, including when he said a few years back that divorce generally is harmful to kids, even if it stems from a violent marriage.

Sources:

Ibrahim, Nur. "Kamala Harris Does Not Have Biological Children?" Snopes, 24 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-biological-children/. " target="blank">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-biological-children/.">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-biological-children/. Accessed 30 July 2024.

Ibrahim, Nur. "JD Vance Said Women Should Stay in Violent Marriages?" Snopes, 18 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/jd-vance-violent-marriages/. " target="blank">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/jd-vance-violent-marriages/.">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/jd-vance-violent-marriages/. Accessed 30 July 2024.

""Profoundly Weird and Dangerous": J.D. Vance Calls Out Media and Celebs Over Child Comments Backlash." Megyn Kelly, 2024. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMWhqX7b5o. " target="blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMWhqX7b5o.">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMWhqX7b5o. Accessed 30 July 2024.