Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has stepped up efforts to protect his wife, Usha Vance, from the white supremacist attacks she has faced since she was named former President Donald Trump’s running mate last month.
“My attitude to people who attack my wife is, she’s beautiful, she’s smart. What kind of man is going to marry Usha? A very smart man, and most importantly, a very lucky man,” Vance said Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.”
“And my view is, if they want to attack me, or they want to attack my opinions, or my policies, or my character, attack me. But don’t attack my wife. She’s beyond your control.”
This comes just weeks after prominent white supremacist Nick Fuentes attacked Vance and his wife because of his Indian ancestry after Vance’s husband was nominated for the Republican nomination.
“Who is this guy? Can we really expect a man who has an Indian wife and named his child Vivec to support white identity?” Fuentes said last month.
“This Week” co-host Jonathan Karl noted that Fuentes dined with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. President Trump claimed that Fuentes was brought by rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) and that he didn’t know who Fuentes was.
“Well, Donald Trump knows nothing and, quite frankly, [Fuentes]” Vance replied.
Karl further commented on the dinner: “And of course the person who arranged this whole thing was Kanye West, who praised Hitler. That was a year and a half ago. And Trump has yet to fully condemn the man who said horrible things, and he’s a white supremacist.”
“Look, I think President Trump has condemned this on multiple occasions,” Vance told Kahl.
Kahl noted that Trump did not specifically criticize Fuentes, but Vance appeared to ignore that.
“John, what I love about Donald Trump is that he’ll talk to anyone, but just because he talks to someone doesn’t mean I endorse their views. And Donald Trump spends a lot of quality time with my wife. Every time we meet, we hug her, we tell her she’s beautiful, we joke around a little,” Vance replied.
“I’m not worried about Donald Trump at all,” he added. “I worry about these stupid attacks every now and then, but again, this is what you have to be prepared for when you go into politics. I hope people keep their eye on me, but whatever. They’re going to say what they want to say. My wife is tough enough to handle it, which is a good thing.”
