Awkward Usha Vance Moments That Had Us Cringing

Back in 2023, before most Americans had ever heard her name, Usha Vance was working as a trial lawyer for the progressive law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson in San Francisco. While she was not famous by any stretch of the imagination, she was well respected. Friends and colleagues lauded her for her generosity. As one of them anonymously told the BBC, "She was someone who would always share her outlines [class notes]. They were, like, perfectly organized, you know, color-coded, the works." 

But if Vance was something of a star in her inner circle, that level of popularity would never compare to the fame in her future. Indeed, when her husband, J.D. Vance, became vice president of the United States in January 2025, she was thrust into the spotlight. Not only did she have to quit her job but she also had to transform into everything that a second lady under the Donald Trump administration was expected to be. Goodbye, pantsuits. Vance was now looking at a future of high heels and long skirts.

Although Usha Vance's style transformation successfully changed her image, it didn't make the transition from lawyer to second lady any easier. As she tried to get comfortable in her new role, she endured several awkward moments. From facing public criticism to learning how to interact with Trump, her early days in Washington have been a struggle. Many of these cringe-worthy episodes illustrate just how hard it is to be in the political spotlight.

Before J.D. Vance decided to run for vice president, Usha Vance didn't have to defend her husband on the national stage. However, during Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, all of that changed. This was especially true when internet sleuths dug up one of an old interview featuring J.D. on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" (via NPR). During the 2021 conversation, J.D. critiqued Democratic lawmakers for having nontraditional families and called them "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too." Perhaps, unsurprisingly, these words incensed a large number of people. And unfortunately for Usha, it became her job to defend them.

On an appearance with Fox & Friends, Usha was asked to react to J.D.'s "childless cat lady" comments. "What he was really saying," Usha tried to explain, "is that it can be really hard to be a parent in this country. And sometimes, our policies are designed in a way that make it even harder, and we should be asking ourselves, 'Why is that?'" While Usha's words sure sounded great, they lacked any clear connection to what J.D. had told Tucker Carlson. According to a headline in The New Republic, "J.D. Vance's wife fails miserably at defending 'childless cat ladies.'" The moment was very awkward for Usha, who likely learned a lot about politics from the experience. 

Just because Usha Vance and Donald Trump participated in the same presidential campaign does not mean that they have a lot in common. Whereas Trump was long known as a cutthroat real estate mogul with a passion for golf, Vance has demonstrated an interest in themes ranging from constitutional law to classical Greek literature. Perhaps because of these differences in professional background and hobbies, Trump and Vance do not appear to have the most natural relationship.

Observers could see this dynamic play out at Donald Trump's inauguration. On this occasion, Vance sat beside Melania Trump as both Trump and J.D. Vance took their oaths of office. Because she was sitting in such tight quarters with the president, it was only a matter of time before she was face to face with him. Unfortunately, footage of this moment shared by the Daily Mail shows that neither Trump nor Vance quite knew how to interact. At one point, Trump awkwardly patted the second lady's shoulder. She, in turn, shot him a forced smile and nodded at him politely. 

Photos of the event also show the pair looking uncomfortable to be side by side. One shot captured Vance and Trump with their heads angled away from each other. Both carried a look of dissatisfaction on their faces. While these exchanges hardly reveal any kind of tension, they certainly point to the differences between these two public figures.

The presidential inauguration was not the only time that fans wondered about the dynamic between Usha Vance and Donald Trump. Three months later — as Vance was preparing to accompany her husband, J.D. Vance, to Greenland — Trump mentioned her in a speech. At first, he seemed to sing her praises. However, within seconds, it became apparent that the president likely could not remember her name. "I have great respect for ... uh, the wife of our first, uh, of our great vice president," Trump sputtered in a video shared on YouTube. "She's a brilliant woman. She's a very nice woman. And she loves the concept of Greenland."

Interestingly, this was not the first time that Trump was accused of forgetting one of the Vances' names. During a 2022 rally, he seemed to forget J.D.'s name as well. Referencing the Ohio senate race that was taking place at the time, Trump said, "We've endorsed J.P. — right? J.D. Mandel, and he's doing great. They're all doing good" (via The Hill). In reality, Trump and his team had endorsed J.D. Vance, despite not knowing his name. In some ways, this was not surprising. After all, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have long had a complicated relationship, and their opinions of each other have evolved drastically over time.

Of course, Usha Vance's role as second lady is not limited to navigating a professional relationship with the president. It's also about curating an agreeable public image, and let's just say that learning to embrace her sudden fame has created some difficulties for her. This was apparent in March 2025 when Vance and her husband J.D. Vance took their kids to Vermont on a ski vacation. As the family's car pulled up on the streets near Sugarbush resort, they were met with hordes of angry Vermont residents — many of whom demanded that they take their trip elsewhere. Enraged by the vice president's lack of support for Ukraine, one protestor held a sign reading, "Go ski in Russia."

Despite understanding that most Vermont residents opposed the Donald Trump administration, the Vance family appeared surprised by these protests. Rather than ignoring the haters and carrying on with their trip, they were so upset by this reaction that they canceled their family vacation. As the BBC reported at the time, the couple and the three Vance children were taken to a secret location away from the protests. In retrospect, the Vances probably understood that going on holiday in an ultra-liberal area was probably not the most logical move. In the end, it resulted in an awkward moment that likely helped the couple understand how much their lives had changed.

Usha Vance and J.D. Vance do not have to travel far to find Americans who oppose their views. Even while going out in their current hometown of Washington, D.C., the couple has been greeted by protestors. When they went out for a night of music at the Kennedy Center, the crowd did not seem happy to see them. Footage of their entrance to the theater posted on X shows that the rest of the audience loudly booed them before the show.

Boos for JD Vance as he enters tonight's concert at the Kennedy Center pic.twitter.com/IWTsJUWjCR

— Andrew Roth (@Andrew__Roth) March 13, 2025

This reaction came shortly after Donald Trump fired the Kennedy Center's entire board of trustees. As The Mirror US reported, Trump announced his plans for the arts center on Truth Social, writing, "In my capacity, we are going to restore the greatness of the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. I have decided to immediately terminate several individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not align with our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture." Many members of the audience were not thrilled with this news and used the Vances' presence at the theater to express their views. Ultimately, this proved quite awkward for the couple, who might have enjoyed more anonymity at the movies.

Although liberal protesters have expressed strong opinions about Usha Vance, the second lady's political views have remained more opaque. At one point, she was a registered Democrat who abhorred Donald Trump. Her friends, however, say that she has come to terms with many conservative viewpoints and has grown increasingly content with her new political role. Regardless of where Vance really stands, she has not always done a good job of hiding her more progressive past.

This was clear when she posted a video on Instagram in which she discussed her upcoming trip to Greenland. While the message of her post was definitely conservative, the footage revealed a piece of her personal library that was much more liberal. Indeed, the upper lefthand corner of the video showed that Vance owned a copy of "Earth in the Balance." Written by former presidential candidate Al Gore, this book explored the implications of global warming and climate change — issues that the Trump administration has actively dismissed. Ultimately, Vance's choice to include the book in her video was awkward because it revealed the elements of her personal politics that might potentially differ from her husband's.

On June 15, 2025, Usha Vance celebrated J.D. Vance by sharing a post on Instagram. "Happy Father's Day to @vp — who's planned his big day around reading books, hunting for insects, building with Legos, and giving baths — and to my own father," she gushed in the caption. "We love you, today and every day!" In many ways, this post was to be expected. Plenty of high-profile figures shared heartwarming Father's Day posts on social media, and the fact that Usha was among them was hardly shocking. That said, Usha's kind post was a little awkward considering that J.D. did not make an equivalent one for Mother's Day.

Indeed, just weeks before Usha wrote her post, her husband wrote a Mother's Day post that completely ignored her. "Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. We love you and are grateful for you," he wrote on X. This apparent snub stirred the divorce rumors surrounding J.D. Vance and Usha Vance. And while we can't say how the couple's relationship is holding up for sure, we do know that the contrast between their holiday messages was odd, to say the least. With this in mind, Usha's choice to lift J.D. up on Father's Day came across as awkward and forced. 

If J.D. Vance has garnered a reputation as a rising political figure, it's not because of his jokes. In 2025, the vice president faced significant backlash for his attempts at comedy. One such attempt, interestingly enough, was a quip that seemed critical of his wife, Usha Vance. While standing next to Usha in Michigan, J.D. told the crowds, "I think she's doing a great job as second lady of the United States, and I am so proud to have her by my side. 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." As if on cue, Usha laughed — although she didn't necessarily look too happy about it.

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

It didn't take long for J.D.'s quip to go viral on X, where users critiqued the vice president for putting Usha on the spot. Responding to the clip on X, one user claimed that Usha appeared "uncomfortable and miserable." That said, Usha and J.D. have been married long enough that each is likely well aware of the other's sense of humor. For Usha, this bizarre joke was probably just one awkward moment among many. 

Usha Vance's friends say that she's totally supportive of J.D. Vance's political career. As Usha hails from a more liberal family, some of her acquaintances originally believed that she would leave the vice president due to their political differences. However, as one such individual told The Cut, "Initially, I thought, 'Surely she can't be okay with this, and she's going to divorce him in time.' Then I saw her at the Republican National Convention and thought, 'Could she actually be on board?'" (via Slate). The answer — it seems — is yes.

But because Usha has made such a big deal of backing J.D., it was definitely awkward when she opened up about her husband's career struggles. On an episode of Meghan McCain's "Citizen McCain," Usha revealed, "J.D. was having — I think it's fair to say — a little bit of a crisis about why he was in law school at all. He was chasing all these things that felt very prestigious and, like, were going to put him on a path to legal success." Nonetheless, J.D. apparently felt a little lost. Although there is nothing wrong with this story, politicians rarely speak about their personal crises in this way. In that sense, Usha's choice to reveal this information on McCain's podcast was uncomfortable at best.