JD And Usha Vance's Wildly Different Parenting Styles Highlight Their Massive Disconnect

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There's zero chance Vice President JD Vance and Usha Vance will win "Couple of the Year." The duo, whose marriage might not last, are the poster children for opposites attract. JD comes from a tumultuous upbringing, which he detailed in his book, "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis," and is much more of an in-your-face kind of person based on all the feuds he's been involved in online. Meanwhile, Usha had a loving childhood and is much more subdued when it comes to public conflict.

Their differences don't end there, though. The way they parent their three children vastly contrasts, too. On the premiere episode of political advisor Katie Miller's new podcast, guest star JD was asked how he and his wife handle their kids having tantrums in public. Surprising absolutely no one, Usha prefers patience, while JD all but admitted he has zero tolerance for that kind of thing. A clip from the podcast was posted to X, exposing his true stance on the matter itself.

Katie Miller: "So how do you handle a toddler tantrum in a public place?"

JD Vance: "...[Usha] is super patient. She'll try to reason with them. If they have a tantrum in a public place, I immediately grab them, take them to the bathroom and say, 'You got to cut that shit out.'" pic.twitter.com/rpNhhwLZIh

— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) August 12, 2025

The VP revealed that a child therapist once came up to Usha and, praising her parenting skills, said, "The way you act with your son is so amazing." Then there's the JD method of fatherhood. He's more the tough love type but hopefully he doesn't actually curse at his young children when he pulls them into the bathroom. It's not ideal for a couple to parent their children together if they're not being consistent in how they handle certain situations.

Responders to the video on X were not thrilled with Vice President JD Vance's remarks. One person questioned his love for his children, tweeting, "When's he finally going to say 'I hate my kids' and get it over with?" Someone else disliked how the VP was apparently treating Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel Vance, who are currently only ages 8, 5, and 3, respectively. Others provided their own "translations" for JD's comments, with one X user writing, "Usha is super patient. I'm just an a**hole." Another facetiously posted, "Here kid, here's a Percocet, just like my mom gave me," referring to JD's mother Beverly, who struggled with drug addiction.

While parenting is hard work, and can easily cause even the most levelheaded person to lose their cool from time to time, JD's approach to discipling his children doesn't seem like the most effective method. There could be a valid reason a young child throws a tantrum, such as not feeling well or being overly tired, and JD simply cursing at them and not trying to get to the root of the problem isn't helping anyone.

What also isn't helping is how much JD and Usha seem to argue with each other, including a recent dinner fiasco that was reportedly witnessed by waitstaff. Usha apparently told her husband, "This is what our life should actually be like!" referring to a more relaxed environment — something the family hasn't gotten to enjoy since JD took office.