J. D. Vance, Trump’s 2024 running mate, has provoked a social media storm by how he talks about his own family. A sampling:
“In a recent NY Times interview, Vance was asked if his wife, Usha, had converted to Catholicism from her Hindu faith. He explained that she had not, but their family still attends church together. ‘No, she hasn’t [converted]. That’s why I feel bad about it. She’s got three kids. Obviously, I help with the kids, but because I’m kind of the one going to church, she feels more responsibility to keep the kids quiet in the church.'”
“When JD Vance says, ‘My wife has three children'” – he does not refer to his wife by her name (‘Usha’). He also does not refer to any of his 3 children by name (Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel). And most importantly (red lights flashing, sirens blaring) – he doesn’t acknowledge himself as his daughter’s/sons’ father (i.e., ‘Usha and I have three children’). All three of these are significant distancing behaviors.”
“Through this campaign, JD Vance has repeatedly referred to his children as belonging to his wife and implies it’s her responsibility to care for them. This patriarchal and anachronistic parenting model is exactly what he will try to force on America if elected.”
