Awkward JD & Usha Vance Photos That Have Troubled Marriage Written All Over Them

Is there trouble in paradise for Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance? There's no denying that Usha's life has changed dramatically since becoming the second lady of the United States, and the couple has not escaped speculation regarding their supposedly troubled love life. In fact, Usha's conspicuous silence on JD's birthday back in August 2025 really seemed to speak volumes about the rampant divorce rumors. JD made matters even worse when he accidentally let some details slip that suggest they may have something of a toxic relationship.

However, many people didn't need to hear JD openly admit to the flaws in his marriage to see the pair have been having issues. Tons of photos snapped of JD and Usha since their time in the political spotlight simply scream "troubled marriage." We spoke with Nicole Moore, celebrity love coach and body language expert, about a few of these photos and got the low-down on just how uncomfortable and awkward these supposed lovebirds actually are.

JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, attended Good Friday catholic mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican during a trip to Vatican City on April 18, 2025. The couple brought along their two children for the event, and body language expert Nicole Moore told us that the photos seem to show some real emotional space between the couple. 

"Her body language is communicating a desire to distance herself from JD," Moore shared. "Usha has pursed, tight lips, indicating discomfort or emotional upset and her posture is tense." As evidence for this, Moore pointed to how far apart they were standing, and how Usha was leaning slighting away from JD during the ceremony.

Two days after their awkward Good Friday church service, JD Vance and Usha Vance were photographed leaving the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Vatican, in Rome, Italy. Usha didn't look like she wanted to be there with JD following the Easter Sunday service. Usha can be seen walking several steps ahead of her husband, with a stern look on her face. 

"Her tight neck and stiff, pursed lips indicate unhappiness," body language expert Nicole Moore told us about the couple's apparent tension. "Usha's shoulders and neck appear pulled upward as if she's bracing herself or putting on an independent energy as a way to protect herself." Moore went on to say that it appears that, perhaps, Usha is unable to mask her frustrations or discomfort with her husband, while JD seems "too distracted by his duties or keeping up appearances to care."

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance were logically seated side-by-side at the 44th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service, held at the US Capitol on May 15, 2025. The event was meant to honor police officers who died in the line of duty throughout 2024.

While it was a particularly important and somber event, JD and Usha looked like total strangers who happened to be seated next to one another. Usha kept her hands neatly folded on her knee, and the pair remained as separate from one another — both physically and emotionally — as two people could be without actively hating each other.

Taking your young kids to a sporting event can be exhausting. However, the level of sheer and total burnout on Usha Vance's face was palpable at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group F match in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 25, 2025. 

Holding a glass of what appears to be champagne in her hand, Usha looked like she would have rather been anywhere else as she sat with a full empty seat between herself and Vance, while their three kids ran around in the half-empty stands. Usha looked expectantly at JD, but he didn't seem to notice, or perhaps he was deliberately ignoring a cue to help wrangle the children. 

JD Vance celebrated his senate victory on November 8, 2022, and spoke to supporters at a rally in Columbus, Ohio. He brought along wife, Usha Vance, for the celebration, and photos of the address inadvertently seemed to reveal a very bored Usha. 

While standing behind her husband on the stage, ostensibly to lend her support, it was impossible not to see just how zoned out and disconnected Usha was by JD's celebratory oration. It seems like Usha couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for her husband's political stumping.

JD and Usha Vance hosted Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein of Jordan in September 2025. In a photo shared by The Royal Hashemite Court on X, the couples posed together after the dinner, and the difference in body language between the pairs couldn't have been more obvious. While Usha was smiling brightly, she and Vance both stood with an awkward rigidity, and with a significant gap between them, like work colleagues who don't actually know each other very well. 

Meanwhile, the crown prince and princess are standing close and appear to be an actual romantic couple. In fact, like in numerous other photos of the couple, Usha and JD seem to even be leaning away from one another, suggesting a possible desire for some distance.

Usha Vance attended a production of "Les Misérables" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in June 2025. While the pair went dressed to the nines, and even held hands, they didn't exactly light up the red carpet with their bright smiles. Even with her hand in her husband's firm grasp, Usha stood several feet away from him and seemingly refused to look like she was excited to be photographed with JD. 

According to body language expert Nicole Moore, "Many public couples do their best to hide their unhappiness in front of the cameras," and the fact that Usha doesn't seem to even be trying to hide it could be very telling when it comes to their private life. "She may have reached a breaking point where she's not even willing to pretend for the cameras anymore or she may be exhausted from conflicts with JD behind the scenes," Moore elaborated.