Second Lady Usha Vance said she “kind of laughed” at Abdul El-Sayed’s social media remark, adding that JD Vance’s relatives had always treated her like family. (Photo: Instagram/@slotus)
Second Lady Usha Vance has responded to a social media remark by Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed that appeared to reference her Indian heritage while taking aim at her husband, Vice President JD Vance.
“I have to admit, I kind of laughed,” Usha said, adding that she had never met JD Vance’s grandparents but knew and loved the children they raised.
What El-Sayed said
The exchange began after Vance criticised El-Sayed over his past comments on Sharia law during a rally in Ohio.
Vance said he wished he could go back in time and tell his late grandfather, whom he calls “Papaw”, that a politician claiming to represent working people supported Sharia law and viewed criticism of it as white supremacy.
“That’s not my grandpa’s Democratic Party,” Vance said.
El-Sayed responded on social media: “So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…”
So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no… https://t.co/JApcsCW4kU
The post did not explicitly mention Usha’s race or ethnicity. However, critics interpreted it as suggesting that Vance’s white grandparents might not have accepted Usha, who is Indian American.
The remark was widely interpreted by critics as a reference to Usha’s Indian heritage and drew accusations of racism. El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for clarification about what he meant.
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El-Sayed later defended the remark in an interview with MS NOW, saying he was questioning the idea that some Americans could claim greater belonging because their families had been in the country longer. “The confusing thing about it is that he thinks that there are some people who are more American than others because they can point to their Papaw who was here earlier,” he said.
Usha says she wishes she had met Vance’s grandparents
Usha did not directly engage with the racial interpretation of the post. Instead, she spoke about Vance’s grandparents and the relationship she has with the family members they raised.
Usha also pushed back indirectly against the idea that she had ever felt like an outsider in Vance’s family, describing Ohio as culturally diverse and saying his relatives had treated her as family.
“Yes, I never met JD’s mamaw and papaw,” she said.
Usha Vance responds to Abdul El-Sayed’s dig about whether JD Vance would take her “back in time to meet Papaw.”
The second lady says she laughed off the far-left candidates comment about their personal lives, saying she’s always felt at home with her husband’s Ohio family.… pic.twitter.com/cRkinyUKgg
“His aunt is like a second mother to me,” Usha said. “I have to think that, if they raised children like that, they would’ve been loving as well and I would have really, really, really loved to have met them.”
Usha recalls warm welcome from Vance’s family in Ohio
Usha also recalled that she had never visited Ohio before she began dating Vance and said her expectations of the state “were blown up”.
“It’s a culturally diverse place,” she said. “The people have been so welcoming. Everyone has been so loving. They are my family. They treat me like their family.”
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Vance has previously credited his grandfather James Vance, who worked as a welder for 40 years, with being a stabilising and influential figure during his childhood.
El-Sayed also faced criticism that weekend over a separate post aimed at Trump aide Natalie Harp.
“Why does Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed just assume that all White midwestern grandparents are racist?” Republican Texas Rep. Brandon Gill said.
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Earlier the same day, El-Sayed had also directed a social media post at Natalie Harp, an aide to President Donald Trump, after Trump criticised him for campaigning with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
Natalie, I think he’s had a little too much iPad for the week. He needs his rest. https://t.co/QwgGEtQY2p
An X account run by Democrats supporting El-Sayed’s opponent Mike Rogers also accused him of sexism and misogyny.
“This is why there were ads in the primary correctly highlighting how sexist and misogynistic Abdul is,” the account said. “He has so much contempt for women. If you’re over the politics of division. Reject Abdul El-Sayed.”
Journalist Emily Schrader, meanwhile, accused El-Sayed of racism, responding to his post: “You are a racist creep.”
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