JD Vance Shows Love to Usha in ‘Sweet’ Post but Fans Zoom In on One Phrase and Read Between the Lines
JD Vance‘s ‘sweet’ post about his wife, Usha Vance, quickly backfired as social media users zeroed in on his choice of words, turning what was meant to be a public show of affection into a wave of criticism and speculation.
The vice president acknowledged his wife in a post on X, but the language sparked immediate pushback from critics who said the message felt off.
The second lady celebrated her special day on Jan. 6. The vice president posted a photo of himself and Usha happily gazing at each other as they exited Air Force Two along with the caption, “Happy Birthday to my darling Usha, who turns 40 today!” His most loyal supporters joined him in sending the former trial lawyer wishes of a fulfilling day.
However, the joyous influx of messages was disrupted when hecklers called JD out for oversharing a taboo detail about his wife. “Um JD…..your not suppose to list a woman’s age,” an X user wrote.
A second follower scolded him about the issue. That individual typed, “Shame on you for telling her age. She doesn’t look a day over 29.” Whether the latter part of the reaction is sarcastic or not remains unknown, but what has been well-documented is the banter regarding Usha’s appearance in recent months.
Loads of people did a double-take when side-by-side photos of Usha showed she had lost the sparkle in her eye, her face looked dull, and her demeanor seemed melancholy just one year after taking up residence in Number One Observatory Circle in Washington, D.C.
Happy Birthday to my darling Usha, who turns 40 today! pic.twitter.com/cXo9c4bUyu
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 6, 2026
Commenters quickly concluded that the images, which were snapped on Election Day 2024 and at an official event in 2025, were proof that politics is rapidly aging her.
A few others were critical of the post because it did not evoke emotion. “Couldn’t you at least assign some intern to put some emotions into your tweet?” asked one critic. A second person judged the lack of written affection when they tweeted, “Nothing says romance like a very public birthday post written like a press release.”
Other reactions hinted that JD may have been stoking a soap-opera-level narrative about his marriage, with one commenter joking, “Erika Kirk is somewhere punching the air right now.” Another tweet reads, “Is he trying to make Erikkka jealous?” Vance, married for 10 years and sharing three children with Usha, turned heads with Erika Kirk , 37, in November, giving a warm embrace during a Turning Point USA event.
Erika Kirk addresses the viral moment from a Turning Point USA event at Ole Miss in October, where she hugged Vice President JD Vance as she exited the stage for his remarks. A photo of their hug made its rounds on social media, where some speculated the two are having an affair. pic.twitter.com/EDX1VqfogP
— GABRIELA (@GABRIEL_AM12) January 7, 2026
“No one will ever replace my husband,” Erika told the audience before JD appeared on stage. “But I do see some similarities of my husband in JD — in Vice President JD Vance. I do. And that’s why I am so blessed to be able to introduce him tonight,” she continued.
During their hug, Erika grabbed the back of JD’s head, his hands lingering on her hips. Skeptics were immediately convinced that their PDA exceeded the boundaries of platonic friends.
She later downplayed the interaction, explaining that her love language is touch and that people were reading too far into her hand placement. Weeks later, Usha was spotted without her wedding ring, sparking online chatter of a divorce. JD reassured fans that their union remains intact.
Is this real? Is this really Erika Kirk? Wtf is that “dress” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/GLRGIQP8v4
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) January 6, 2026
Still, speculation about JD and Erika lingers. On Usha’s birthday, a resurfaced photo of the widow in a flowing floral dress sparked renewed speculation about her ties to the politician. An X user said it seemed like she was “dressing up for ‘date night’ with JD.” Others joked she looked like a couch and hoped to “tempt” him.
The snapshot being circulated is from Erika’s appearance at the Young Women’s Leadership Summit, where she spoke about her late husband and faith during the Revival of Biblical Womanhood panel in June 2025.
