'I'm Not His Staffer!': Usha Vance Says She and Husband J.D. Don't See 'Eye to Eye on Everything' 

Second Lady Usha Vance clarified her role in her husband’s political life, stating, "I'm not his staffer. I'm not involved in this in any professional sense."

In an interview with NBC News, Vance, 40, emphasized that she and Vice President J.D. Vance, 41, don't always "see eye to eye" on every issue, but that they maintain a productive relationship through "open-minded" conversations.

She noted that she and her husband of 11 years come from different backgrounds and interests, leading them to "different conclusions all the time."

“The expectation is that we are going to be open-minded and have a conversation, and that I’ll provide meaningful input from, you know, the perspective of someone who loves him and wants him to succeed. So even if we don’t agree, it’s — I think it’s always very productive,” she said in the interview meant to promote the launch of her podcast, “Storytime With the Second Lady.”

The vice president has faced significant criticism and accusations of racism, primarily centered on his defense of controversial figures and his own rhetoric regarding immigration and American identity, in which he has pushed the white nationalist and antisemitic Great Replacement Theory.

In October 2025, J.D. drew bipartisan backlash for downplaying leaked Telegram messages from a Young Republican group chat. The messages included racial slurs, praise for Hitler, and jokes about slavery. J.D. dismissed the outrage as "pearl clutching," characterizing the adults involved (some in their 30s) as "kids" telling "edgy, offensive jokes.”

Despite being married to Usha, an Indian American Hindu, the VP, who has defended racist attacks on his wife by members of his own party, has been criticized for suggesting that Americans with Christian and deep ancestral roots (e.g., those whose ancestors fought in the Civil War) have a "stronger claim" to American identity than others.

While not a professional staffer, Usha considers herself a "trusted adviser" who provides input from the perspective of someone who wants him to succeed.

“I’m not his staffer. I’m not involved in this in any professional sense. . . .There’s no expectation that we are going to see eye to eye on everything,” she said.

Despite disagreements, she expressed total trust in her husband's intentions and stated that she would not support the ticket unless she believed it could do "some real good for the country."

"There are conversations all the time,” Usha said. “I do really like to understand what’s going on in his world, what he’s really focused on, what concerns he has, because it’s a marriage. I mean, I want to be supportive of him, and if I don’t really know what’s going on, then I can’t do that,” she said.

The second lady, pregnant with her fourth child, added that her husband does come to her for advice at times, such as “when he really wants to talk through something that feels more, kind of, intensely personal or important personally.”

Formerly a registered Democrat, Usha later registered as a Republican and stated she has never felt pressured to conform to specific policy "litmus tests."

“I don’t feel like I have to walk around pretending anything of any sort. I didn’t think I had to do that [in 2014], actually. Sometimes I have thoughts that fit very comfortably on one side or the other," she said.

"Sometimes I have views that are way more idiosyncratic,” she added. “And it’s a world that I think is actually rather accepting of that, since everyone knows that I really care greatly about J.D.’s success.”