Vice President Vance says people who attack his wife 'can eat s---'
Vice President JD Vance said that anyone who attacks his wife, second lady Usha Vance, "can eat s---" during an interview with UnHerd over the weekend.
The comments came after he was asked whether he disavows right-wing podcaster Nick Fuentes, who has made multiple racist comments about Vance's wife and children for their Indian identities. Fuentes' recent comments, including using a racial slur to refer to Usha Vance, have drawn backlash from Republicans such as Vivek Ramaswamy.
Vance also called out former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who now is a host on MS NOW. Psaki recently speculated on Vance's marriage during an appearance on the "I've Had It" podcast, and while talking about Vance’s presidential ambitions, suggested that Usha Vance may need to be saved.
"The think the little Manchurian candidate, JD Vance wants to be president more than anything else. I always wonder what's going on in the mind of his wife. Are you OK? Please blink four times. Come over here, we'll save you. And that he's willing to do anything to get there," Psaki said on the show.
Vance told UnHerd: "On Fuentes, I’ve criticized him in the past, but let me be clear: anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat s---. That’s my official policy as vice president of the United States. And my attitude towards anybody, again, who is calling for judging people based on their ethnic heritage, whether they’re Jewish or white or anything else, it's disgusting. We shouldn't be doing it."
Vance being asked to disavow Fuentes also comes days after Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator, called on conservative leaders to disavow Fuentes during his AmericaFest speech.
Usha Vance is the first Indian American second lady in U.S. history. Prior to her husband being elected vice president, she was a lawyer at a firm involved in civil litigation. She and JD Vance met at Yale Law School. They share three children.
On the 2024 campaign trail, Usha Vance faced racist online backlash from far-right social media posts.
In October, Vice President Vance defended comments about his faith and marriage after critics accused him of throwing his wife's Hindu religion "under a bus" during a Turning Point USA event.
At the event, Vance spoke about his conversion to Catholicism and said he hopes "eventually my wife comes to see it the same way."
"But if she doesn't, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn't cause a problem for me,” the vice president said.
Responding to online backlash to his comments, Vance wrote in a post on X, "My Christian faith tells me the Gospel is true and is good for human beings. My wife -- as I said at the TPUSA -- is the most amazing blessing I have in my life. She herself encouraged me to reengage with my faith many years ago. She is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, but like many people in an interfaith marriage -- or any interfaith relationship -- I hope she may one day see things as I do. Regardless, I'll continue to love and support her and talk to her about faith and life and everything else, because she's my wife."
ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
