Usha & JD Vance's Most Painfully Awkward Moments In 2025

Usha Vance's life has changed dramatically since she became second lady in January 2025. During the 2024 presidential campaign, JD Vance's wife expressed her reluctance for increased public visibility. "I don't know that anyone is ever ready for that kind of scrutiny," Usha admitted to Fox News in June 2024. Back then, Usha was only considering hypotheticals. After their new roles became a reality, the second lady began working to balance her family's private life with their time in the spotlight. "To me, the highest priority right now is to be actually a normal person," Usha informed The Free Press in April 2025. But yet, the couple has not gone without their share of uncomfortable moments this year.

As Usha and JD's public interactions have been observed throughout 2025, people's imaginations have been working overtime. Among the rumors, one especially persistent theme has been assertions that the Vances' marriage might not last, with people pointing to awkward instances when the couple seemed out of sync. Even more optimistic individuals might be disappointed by the scarcity of moments Usha's looked at ease with JD.

Some of these awkward moments could easily have more complex explanations, like when Usha looked miserable during a family outing in June 2025. The heat/humidity was brutal that day, and no one can be smiling constantly. Others, however, are less clear-cut. 

During a March 2025 appearance, Usha Vance accompanied her husband, JD Vance. As he spoke, JD started off strong, praising his wife for her then-relatively new role as second lady. However, he would have been better off pivoting to a new topic, since his remarks rapidly went downhill. "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 it," JD told the audience (via The Daily Beast).

Even though Usha smiled and laughed in support of JD's quip, plenty of people were rolling their eyes at the exchange. "That doesn't sound like a very equal relationship there," commented one X user. Others were more concerned about Usha's general wellbeing. "She looks worried, not happy," remarked another.

Unfortunately, JD's penchant for not filtering his on-camera remarks may have caused Usha even more consternation in August 2025. During an appearance on "The Katie Miller Podcast," he divulged the Secret Service's codenames for the Vances' three children. Although the audio of the specific names was muted, the vice-president also provided other hints, like the names' starting letter. He went even further, telling Miller that his one child selected a dinosaur species. While it's not known how Usha felt about JD providing all these details, it may have caused her added concern for their kids' safety.

Eagle-eyed observers spotted an obvious disconnect between JD Vance and Usha Vance during their April 2025 trip to India, as the couple was particularly ensconced in their parenting duties. JD and Usha each took charge of 1-2 of their three kids, and they were often far away from each other. That same month, the Vances exhibited a similar vibe at a church service in Vatican City. "Usha has pursed, tight lips, indicating discomfort or emotional upset and her posture is tense," body language expert Nicole Moore informed The List after analyzing photos from the event.

Granted, international travel with young children isn't easy, and it's even more stressful on a work trip with extensive media coverage. At the church service, while Usha coached their middle child, JD literally had his hands full with their exhausted youngest child. 

Unfortunately, added pressure could come from the contrast between Usha and JD's approach to dealing with upset children. "[Usha's] super patient. She'll try to reason with them," the vice-president informed podcaster Katie Miller. "If they have a tantrum in a public place, I immediately grab them, take them to the bathroom and say, 'You got to cut this s*** out.'" He asserted that decisive action also gives his kids privacy for processing strong emotions. Unfortunately, in some instances, JD's unnecessarily drawn attention to his children, like when he publicly graded their behavior after a dinner with India's Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

JD Vance celebrated Mother's Day 2025 with a perplexingly generic social media post. "Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. We love you and are grateful for you!" the vice president wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Since he failed to specifically mention his wife, Usha Vance, it sent divorce rumors into overdrive. Fortunately, in a May 2025 interview, Usha was able to give herself a shoutout. "The balancing act today is sometimes easier than it was when I was working full-time in the private sector because I have more control over my schedule and do not feel pulled in as many directions," Usha informed Fox News. This was a bit of an understatement, since when she first became a mom, Usha returned to work after a seven-week maternity leave. After flipping her routine to meet her baby's needs, she had to reverse course when she restarted working.

In contrast, when Father's Day rolled around, Usha tagged her husband in her Instagram post and included multiple photos of him with their three children. Ironically, a day before Usha's post, her husband publicly mentioned their anniversary with maximum awkwardness. He decided to multitask by including their milestone during his speech at the U.S. army's 250th birthday event. While JD's words got sweeter further on, he began with the clunky remark, "But I would get in trouble if I didn't mention that it's also my wedding anniversary."

The Kennedy Center may not be the vice presidential couple's favorite place to visit, since Usha Vance and JD Vance were booed when they saw a show there in March 2025. That time, however, the Vances were trying to fly under the radar and simply enjoy a night out. In June 2025, the couple's presence was part of a far more public display. Along with Donald Trump and Melania Trump, the Vances walked the red carpet. Unfortunately, Usha and JD's finery couldn't hide how awkward they looked as they posed for a photo op. Both stood apart, unsmiling and looking lost in their separate thoughts. Although they held hands, the gesture only served to magnify the distance between them.

To add to the discomfort, "Les Misérables" was playing, and the vice president apparently had no idea about long-running musical's plot. JD attempted a cringey joke, conflating the show with "Sweeney Todd." If that wasn't bad enough, he immediately felt compelled to post his remark on X, formerly Twitter. Although JD contended that his quip left his wife in stitches, other users were skeptical. "Usha was laughing AT you. Not with you," proclaimed one. "...This is so cringe," observed another poster.

JD should have taken a moment for reflection before touting his sense of humor, especially since he already made that embarrassing comment In March about Usha being required to appreciate his humor.

In September 2025, JD Vance and Usha Vance invited Jordan's Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II and Princess Rajwa Al Hussein for a meal. The two couples posed for a pic, and, as it made the rounds on social media, some thought JD and Usha's body language looked odd, since there was an obvious amount of space between them. According to a report from the Jordan News Agency, "The Crown Prince and Vice President Vance discussed the strong ties of friendship between Jordan and the United States, and ways to further develop them, as well as efforts to restore stability in the Middle East."

The fact that it was business dinner might explain why the Vances stood apart with their arms hanging down. Usha might have also wanted to literally distance herself from JD's fashion fail. Her husband got a fair bit of shade from commenters who didn't approve of his sloppy 'fit, especially the way his too-long pants pooled at the ankles. Usha's had her share of fashion mistakes too, but here she looked elegant in her cream top and pleated skirt. Her black pumps even twinned with Princess Rajwa.

Besides the less-than-stellar photo, things got even more awkward in a media release about the evening. Unfortunately, this document incorrectly asserted that King Abdullah II and Queen Rania visited, causing The Daily Beast to joke that the Vances were unaware who they invited.