Usha Vance is responding to speculation about her divorce from her husband, JD Vance.
The second lady, 39, was recently spotted without her wedding ring at an event with first lady Melania Trump on Wednesday, November 19. Usha and Melania visited Camp Lejeune (a military training facility) and Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Images from their visit revealed Usha without her ring, sparking renewed separation rumors between her and her 41-year-old husband, the vice president, across social media platforms. A representative for Usha addressed the speculation to PEOPLE in an article published on Saturday, November 22.
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The representative dismissed the rumors, explaining that Usha is “a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.”
Usha and JD initially met at Yale Law School in 2010 and have been married since 2014. The pair have three children: sons Ewan, 8, and Vivek, 5, and daughter Mirabel, 3, reports the Mirror US.
Usha and Melania stopped by Camp Lejeune (a military training facility) and Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River
Speculation about marital difficulties for the couple appeared to originate with JD’s embrace of Erika Kirk at a Turning Point USA tour stop at the University of Mississippi on October 29. Usha was also present at the event
Erika is the widow of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in September at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.
JD appeared alongside Erika, the fresh CEO of Turning Point USA, as a special guest at the tour event.
The pair shared an embrace on stage following her heartfelt remarks. Their close hug became a viral sensation online, prompting questions about the nature of their relationship.
JD and Usha have been married since 2014 and have three children(Image: AP)
Observers noticed Erika placing her hand on JD’s, while his hand briefly rested on her waist. Beyond the hug that got people buzzing, it was Erika’s address where she mentioned the politician and her deceased spouse had “similarities.
“No one will ever replace my husband. But I do see some similarities between my husband and JD – in Vice President JD Vance. I do. And that’s why I am so blessed to be able to introduce him tonight,” the conservative podcaster said.
Erika also shared with Fox News’ Jesse Watters in a taped interview prior to the University of Mississippi gathering that JD was a “blessing” and spoke glowingly about him and Usha.
“He and Usha, they are the most incredible people. Incredible. With such genuine love,” she said. “I mean, just everything they did for us was so humanized. They just, they were there for us. They’ve been there for us.”
JD and Erik’s hug at a Turning Point USA event had people talking(Image: Getty Images)
The divorce rumors intensified when, during the gathering, JD answered a question about his interfaith union with the lawyer and how they were raising their three children. Usha practices Hinduism, while JD follows Catholicism, having converted as an adult.
JD revealed that they were raising their kids as Christians and mentioned his hope that Usha might convert someday.
“Most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church,” JD said. “Do I hope, eventually, that she is somehow moved by the same thing that 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.”
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