JD Vance delivered a speech at the Marine Corps Ball on Saturday (Image: X )
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance were greeted with cheers when making a grand entrance at Saturday night’s Marine Corps Ball, which took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The two looked the part of a power couple, walking in hand-in-hand, dressed to the nines, but when JD took to the stage, that wasn’t always the case, addressing his insecurities about his appearance.
When delivering his speech, he told a story about meeting a corpsman who said to him, “You have a very nice personality,” which he took as a compliment.
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Vance said, “I’m a vain politician, like the rest of them, and I really appreciated that. But then he said, ‘What the hell is up with that beard?’”
He then exclaimed, “I am the Vice President of the United States, and this guy is busting my balls for having a beard.”
During his speech, he told a story about being insulted by a corps man (Image: X)
Vance had the crowd roaring with laughter, and it seemed like he had struck a chord.
An X user saw the speech and shared his thoughts on the matter, writing: “JD Vance Cracks Jokes At The Marine Corp Ball ‘I’ve got the last laugh because your ass is going to Siberia.'”
The cameras were on Vance, but did not pan to Usha, so it’s not clear if she found the speech humorous.
There has been talk that the couple is at odds, which may explain why the two made the joint appearance. It seems like the power couple may be trying to quiet the critics.
As JD and Usha, dressed to the nines, sashayed into the ballroom, they were greeted with cheers. JD, wearing a tuxedo, and Usha, wearing a black-and-white floor-length gown, made their entrance holding hands.
Both were all smiles and waving, which fits the setting, but at the same time, this public display of glee is coming on the heels of Vance saying he’d like for his wife to convert from Hinduism to Catholicism
Just recently, Vance spoke candidly about wanting his wife to convert from Hinduism to Catholicism, and this is the first time the two have been out together in public.
When speaking to a group of college students on Nov. 8, Vance said, “Do I hope that eventually she is somehow moved by what I was moved by in church? Yeah, honestly, I do wish that, because I believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.”
He added: ”But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.”
According to experts who spoke to ABC 7, it’s disrespectful to pressure a spouse or partner to convert and could prove damaging to a relationship.
Susan Katz Miller, author of Being Both: Embracing Two Religions in One Interfaith Family, spoke to ABC 7 about the matter.
The author said, “To respect your partner and everything they bring to the marriage — every part of their identity — is integral to the kind of honesty that you need to have in a marriage.”
While Vance and Usha may have put on a happy face for the gala, it doesn’t necessarily wash away the recent turn of events and the skepticism will most likely continue despite wrapping up their problems in formal ware.