JD's Wife Usha Is Trump's Favorite Vance & He Isn't Afraid To Show It

JD Vance might be Donald Trump's vice president, but that doesn't automatically make him the president's pet. In fact, Trump made clear who his favorite Vance was during his 2025 inauguration ceremony. As he delivered a speech after all the proceedings, the politician joked that JD wasn't really the person he wanted as his second. "The only one smarter [than him] is his wife," Trump said (via the Daily Mail), referring to Usha Vance. "I would have chosen her [as my VP] but somehow the line of succession didn't work that way." Some might argue it was a harmless quip. But was it, really?

JD and Trump have a complicated relationship — the vice president used to be one of the divisive politician's biggest critics, even likening him to Hitler on one occasion. Additionally, he made it clear in a 2016 column published by The Atlantic that he believed Trump to be a poor presidential candidate. "Trump is cultural heroin. He makes some feel better for a bit. But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they'll realize it," JD wrote. Usha might have been a registered Democrat once upon a time, but she's never publicly criticized the president. However, an anonymous insider told the Washington Post, "Usha found the incursion on the Capitol [on January 6] and Trump's role in it to be deeply disturbing. She was generally appalled by Trump, from the moment of his first election." Usha seemingly never commented on those claims.

Trump has unwittingly put his fragile ego on full display multiple times, so it stands to reason that he'll never truly forget the things JD once said about him. He did, however, on one occasion call JD "one handsome son of a b***h," per Politico, but the compliments are few and far between.

Aside from telling the world that JD Vance's wife is smarter than he is, Donald Trump also made it clear that he doesn't think JD is presidential material. When Fox News asked Trump in February 2025 whether he would endorse JD for president come 2028, the divisive politician replied, "No. But he's very capable. ... So far, I think he's doing a fantastic job. It's too early, we're just starting" (per CNN). Perhaps Trump is saving his endorsement for Usha Vance.

There's also the fact that JD seemed to play second fiddle to Elon Musk before the tech billionaire's bromance with Trump went up in flames. Trump accidentally admitted he doesn't care about JD during his pre-inauguration rally in January 2025 when he welcomed Musk to the stage for a speech. He praised the Tesla CEO's intelligence, noting, "I always say we have to be protective of our geniuses because we don't have too many. But that one [Musk] is a good one" (via NBC News). As all the fanfare reached an end, Trump seemed to remember he had a vice president who needed to be on his thank-you list. "And of course, I want to thank our next vice president of the United States, JD Vance," Trump said as he unsuccessfully scanned the crowd for his VP, before adding, "Wherever he may be ... Wherever the hell he is."

In March 2025, Trump seemed to throw subtle shade JD's way again when they met with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office. "Mr. VP, do you have anything to say about it? Because you're very much involved," Trump said to JD at one point, before making fun of his socks (via Diario AS).