US Vice President-elect JD Vance’s photo with his wife Usha Vance’s Indian family has gone viral on social media. In the picture, Mr Vance can be seen wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans while holding his son on his shoulder. His wife, dressed in a yellowish-brown outfit can be seen on the left side, holding their daughter. Alongside the couple, about 21 family members can be seen enjoying themselves in what appears to be a party in the backyard of a home.
Asha Jadeja Motwani, a Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist, shared the undated pic and captioned it as saying: “JD Vance at Thanksgiving. Reminds me of the big fat Indian wedding.”
JD Vance at Thanksgiving -). Reminds me of the big fat Indian wedding…. pic.twitter.com/vzEjODMRZt
— Asha Jadeja Motwani 🇮🇳🇺🇸 (@ashajadeja325) December 2, 2024
As the post went viral, reactions poured in from all quarters with the majority appreciating the Ohio senator for his sweet and loving family.
“JD got a sense of real family,” said one user, while another added: “Lots of respect to Vance here for spending time with his wife’s fully Indian family. It can be hard for an outsider to adapt to Indian culture, especially with the older generation. Seems like they had a great time.”
A third added: “His son is sitting on his shoulder in a pure Indian way.”
However, some white supremacists once again launched racist attacks on the Republican leader and his wife for the picture. Nick Fuentes, a far-right commentator, infamous for his absurd takes, posted the image and wrote: “If you support JD Vance you are either being paid by Peter Thiel or you’re ngmi.”
Also read | “Meat And Potatoes Guy Who Cooks Indian Food”: Usha Vance On Husband
JD Vance’s love for India and Indian food
Speaking to popular podcast host, Joe Rogan, earlier this month, Mr Vance waxed lyrical about the appeal of Indian vegetarian cuisine and how his wife had influenced his food choices.
“For any vegetarian out there, indulge in paneer, rice, and chickpeas. Skip the nasty fake meat. If you want to embrace a vegetarian lifestyle, turn to Indian cuisine. It offers wonderful vegetarian options,” said Mr Vance.
The Republican leader also recalled an early attempt at impressing Usha with homemade vegetarian food that didn’t go as planned. “I rolled out a flat thing of crescent rolls. I put raw broccoli on top of it. I sprinkled ranch dressing, and I stuck them in the oven for 45 minutes.” The result, he said, was “disgusting”.
Usha Vance and JD met at the Yale University in 2014 while pursuing their law degree. JD’s memoir describes Usha as his “Yale spirit guide” who helped him navigate life at the elite varsity. The couple has three children together.
