COUPLESJ.D. Vance Slammed by Critics for Bragging About Getting His Way After Wife Usha's Ultimatum: 'Does He Think This Makes Him Look Manly?'
J.D. Vance was slammed after he revealed the aftermath of the ultimatum his wife, Usha, gave him.
Aug. 25 2026, Published 5:51 p.m. ET
J.D. Vance's comments weren't received very well after he revealed the aftermath of the ultimatum his wife, Usha Vance, gave him when he was first approached to run as President Donald Trump’s number two.
“The Second Lady said, 'Well, you can have one of two things. You can be VP, or you can have a fourth child.' Ladies and gentlemen, I must be pretty persuasive, because I got both,” the vice president boasted.
J.D. Vance bragged about getting his way despite his wife's ultimatum.
The 42-year-old 2028 Republican presidential hopeful delivered this line during a speech in Maine while joking about balancing high-profile politics with expanding his family.
He recounted a lighthearted conversation with his wife about running for vice president versus having another baby.
The VP Was Criticized for His Comment
J.D. and Usha Vance welcomed their fourth child in July.
The Vances welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy named Alec Neel Vance, in July.
Critics panned his remark and his use of the formal title "the Second Lady" instead of referring to her as his wife.
“Oh, this is DISGUSTING,” quipped one commenter.
Another person was incredulous at the statement for another reason, saying, “I don’t even think she said that to him. He’s cosplaying as a manipulative husband to appeal to the incels."
“Does he think this makes him look manly?” wondered someone else.
- J.D. Vance Bashed for Contradicting Pro-Life Views in 12-Year Anniversary Post to Wife Usha: 'So Life Doesn't Begin at Conception?'
- 'I'm Not His Staffer!': Usha Vance Says She and Husband J.D. Don't See 'Eye to Eye on Everything'
- J.D. Vance's Wife Usha Says They're 'Happier' Than Ever After Welcoming Baby No. 4 Despite Initially Feeling 'Angst' Over Expanding Their Family
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Inside Usha Vance's Background
Usha Vance worked for Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts before focusing on motherhood.
While some critics have blasted 40-year-old Usha as a tradwife, the former registered Democrat is an accomplished trial lawyer and Yale Law School graduate. She previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts, and worked as a litigator at a major corporate law firm.
Since her husband became vice president, she stepped back from her active legal practice to support his political career and serve as second lady.
“I’d rather just sort of live in my marriage and in the real world and less in kind of the fever dreams that surround it," Usha said of backlash.
Harry Enten's poll said J.D. Vance's approval rating dropped to -18 points.
She may have an opportunity to return to her own career in the future as her husband has reached a historic low in popularity for a vice president at this stage in their term, according to CNN polling data analyzed by Harry Enten.
The vice president’s net approval rating dropped to -18 points, sliding 21 points underwater from a +3 rating when he took office.
Analysts note that this marks the lowest recorded approval rating for a modern vice president at this exact point in their tenure, compared with previous administrations.
