Usha Vance's Distant Body Language Around JD Exposes Her True Feelings, Expert Says

By Carissa Jean Mares
Usha Vance and JD Vance visit the Military Advanced Training Center at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD (2025) Andrew Harnik/Getty

Though there isn't much for a vice president to do when serving under the looming shadow of President Donald Trump, JD Vance has still found some ways to keep his name in the papers. For example, Vance temporarily took over hosting his old pal Charlie Kirk's show, suggesting that he's enjoying scrounging for whatever spotlight he can find — even if it comes at the detriment of his marriage. During the first year of his vice presidency, JD and his wife, Usha Vance, have had to combat rumors that the pressures of the job have impacted their marriage. Case in point: On a November 10 trip to Walter Reed Medical Center, Usha's body language suggested that JD's ego required quite a bit of space.

According to body language expert and celebrity love coach Nicole Moore, the way Usha held herself in the above video may hint that her smile is hiding something. "Usha is smiling in this clip, but her body language is giving away potential discomfort," Moore pointed out. In fact, when JD caught the medicine ball, "Usha shifts her body away from him and steps away from him while crossing her arms," Moore explained.

As Moore summarized, "Her body is trying to distance herself from her husband or create some sort of protection from him by creating physical space in between them." With all the chatter about how Usha and JD's marriage might not last, moments like these are becoming more obvious. In fact, this wasn't the only time within the span of a few days that the vibes appeared off between the second couple.

Usha and JD Vance were stiff at a celebratory event

Usha Vance and JD Vance dance together at the Marine Ball in Washington, DC (2025) Pool/Getty

On November 8, just two days before the medicine ball incident, JD and Usha Vance attended the Marine Corps Ball. Video of the couple was spotted on social media, and things once again felt off, with Usha's posture seeming stiff and rehearsed. Considering that Usha has had to radically shift her life to become the second lady, her body language could suggest that personal discomfort is spilling into her public role.

"Usha appears very rigid and uncomfortable," Nicole Moore pointed out, and there could be several reasons for this. Considering that JD was a Marine, he may have felt more at ease being in the room with fellow servicemembers, especially in the elevated capacity he now finds himself. As for Usha, Moore noted, "It's possible that she was experiencing jitters from being in front of a crowd." Even potentially tender moments, as when Usha reached out to JD's arm or gave him a kiss on the cheek, felt awkward. "Her movements were short and perfunctory as if she was performing affection instead of being moved by genuine emotion for her husband," explained Moore.

Considering JD himself has let it slip how toxic their marriage can be, Usha's apparent emotional (and physical) distance is understandable. Although their body language may be full of red flags, Moore cautioned that Usha was perhaps just in her own head.

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