Vice President JD Vance on Thursday branded MSNBC host Jen Psaki’s podcast remarks about his wife Usha as “disgraceful,” the latest flare-up in a long-running debate over how Democrats wield identity politics—proclaiming feminism and racial allyship while, critics say, demeaning conservative women and Black Americans who reject progressive orthodoxy.
Speaking to reporters on an official visit to Israel, Vance called himself “very lucky to have a wonderful wife” and said Usha, who joined him on the trip, “can speak for herself.” The couple’s three children—Ewan, 8; Vivek, 5; and Mirabel, 3—remained stateside.
Psaki, who served as Biden White House press secretary from 2021 to 2022 before joining MSNBC, made the comments Tuesday on the “I’ve Had It” podcast. She labeled Vance a “little Manchurian candidate” more ambitious than President Trump, then turned to Usha Vance, 39, a Yale Law graduate and former clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts and then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
