Highlights:
- JD Vance sharply condemned racist attacks against his wife, Usha Vance
- Far-right activist Nick Fuentes targeted her Indian and Hindu identity
- Vance said attacks on his wife cross a clear line
- Remarks also referenced criticism from former White House press secretary Jen Psaki
- The incident renewed debate over racism and extremism in U.S. political discourse
Vice President JD Vance delivered an unusually blunt public response after far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes launched racist and derogatory attacks against his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, focusing on her Indian American and Hindu background.
The remarks came during a recent livestream by Fuentes, who criticized Vance for marrying a woman of Indian origin and giving one of their children an Indian name. Fuentes also referred to the vice president as a “race traitor,” language that drew widespread condemnation online.
Speaking to the online magazine UnHerd from his official residence in Washington, D.C., Vance responded directly when asked about Fuentes’ comments.
“Let me be clear,” Vance said, before adding, “Anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki [the former Biden press secretary] or Nick Fuentes, can eat shit. That’s my official policy as Vice President of the United States.”
Fuentes has been described as “a white supremacist” by the New York–based Anti-Defamation League. In the livestream referenced by critics, he made a string of racist and offensive statements aimed at both Vance and his family.
“And now they’re all in favor of a fat race mixer who’s married to a jeet, who named his son Vivek...and that’s your guy? Your guy is literally a fat, gay race traitor who married a jeet,” Fuentes said.
Vance’s comments also referenced former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who previously made remarks about Usha Vance during an October episode of the podcast I’ve Had It. In that appearance, Psaki suggested the Second Lady should be “rescued” from her husband.
“I always wonder what's going on in the mind of his wife...Like, are you OK? Please blink four times. Come over here, we'll save you,” Psaki said at the time.
By naming both Fuentes and Psaki in his response, Vance made clear that criticism crossing into personal attacks on his family would not be tolerated, regardless of the source or political affiliation.
Usha Vance, whom JD Vance married in 2014, is a highly accomplished attorney. She previously clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts of the US Supreme Court and for then–U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who later became a Supreme Court justice. The couple has three children.
The episode has reignited discussion around racism, political extremism, and the treatment of public officials’ families. It also drew attention to the increasing visibility of Usha Vance, whose professional achievements and background have made her a frequent target of online commentary.
While the White House has not issued an official statement beyond Vance’s remarks, his response marked one of the strongest personal defenses delivered by a sitting vice president in recent memory, underscoring how deeply personal attacks have become in the current political climate.
