Vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) acknowledged the white supremacist attacks on his wife, Usha Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants.
“Look, I love my wife very much. I love her for who she is,” he said on Megyn Kelly’s show on Friday. “Obviously, she’s not white, and she’s been criticized and attacked by white supremacists for that, but I just love Usha.”
Since her husband was nominated for the Republican nomination, Usha Vance has faced a series of attacks from the far-right because of her Indian descent.
“Who is this guy? Can we really expect a man who has an Indian wife and named his child Vivek to support white identity?” Nick Fuentes, a prominent white supremacist About Vance After former President Trump announced his running mate.
Fuentes was invited to Mar-a-Lago by President Trump in November 2022, sparking intense criticism.
Vance has not publicly condemned the attacks, but in his comments Friday he was more critical of liberal commentators who have slammed him for past comments about traditional family and gender roles, calling the criticism “nauseating.”
“She’s a really good mother,” Vance added of his wife. “She’s a really good lawyer and I’m really proud of her. But certainly, her experiences have shown me how tough it is for working families in this country.”
Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that fights against injustice against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, said Usha Vance received a flood of racist comments after being thrust into the spotlight at the Republican National Convention.
“We are seeing a dangerous pattern of blatant targeting of South Asians by political leaders, conservative commentators and far-right extremists,” he said. the group told Politico..
Vice President Harris, who is of Indian descent, is also facing racial questions about her chances of winning as she emerges as a leading Democratic candidate to challenge President Trump.
“As the bigoted attacks against Usha Vance and Vice President Harris escalate and we see efforts to pit them against each other, it is clear that political leaders who are stoking this hate have a complete disregard for the safety and well-being of Asian American and immigrant communities,” Stop Asian Americans and Americans for Asia Pacific Hate said.
Vance also responded Friday to public outrage over past comments he made insultingly about Harris, calling her “childless.” During the interview, he praised his wife for continuing her career despite having children.
“My wife is a working mother. I hear people on the left saying JD wants to keep women at home. I’ve always supported my wife’s career,” he said. “This is a critique of the Democratic Party becoming anti-family and anti-children.”
