Usha Vance has spoken publicly about her husband’s potential 2028 presidential ambitions.
The second lady, 39, addressed the speculation surrounding Vice President JD Vance, 41, during an interview that aired on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday from Washington. She made clear that while she remains open to whatever comes next, the family’s immediate focus lies elsewhere.
“My way of thinking about it is we just take things one step at a time,” she said. “Right now, that step is he’s really focused on the midterms.”
She continued, “And for me, it’s being focused on the things that I get to do during this four-year period. And my attitude is just [to] have a kind of an open mind and open heart towards whatever might come next. I’ve seen us adapt to all sorts of things and all sorts of changes.”
The vice president has similarly downplayed speculation about his own presidential aspirations, stressing that his focus is on the midterms for now. Republicans are widely seen as underdogs in their push to hold the House.
Just last month, Usha gave birth to the second family’s fourth child, Alex. She shared details about life with the newborn during the same interview.
“He’s a great newborn,” she remarked. “He must know his place in the world because he’s a fourth child. He has been so relaxed compared to a couple of his siblings. So we’re actually sleeping pretty well and feeling pretty good.”
She revealed that JD has been reading “The Hobbit” to their children before bedtime and touted her campaign to boost child literacy.
The veep joked earlier this week that Usha previously suggested it might be difficult to have both a fourth child and pursue the vice presidency. He shared the anecdote at an event in Maine.
“The second lady said, ‘Well, you can have one of two things. You can be VP, or you can have a fourth child.’ Ladies and gentlemen, I must be pretty persuasive, because I got both,” JD quipped.
Many recent presidents have had young children. During President Trump’s first term, his youngest son, Barron, was just 10 years old. Former President Barack Obama took office with a 10- and 7-year-old.
JD has routinely been polled as the 2028 GOP presidential frontrunner, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 53. Trump has mused publicly about whether JD or Rubio would be stronger as the party’s standard-bearer.
Usha hinted that she will be supportive of her husband’s 2028 decision.
“Whatever it is that he feels is the right thing for him to do, we’re going to have a good time doing it,” Usha said of her husband’s potential presidential prospects. “We will make the best of it in the best possible way.”
The couple’s dynamic reflects a partnership tested by rapid political ascent. JD Vance rose from venture capitalist and “Hillbilly Elegy” author to Ohio senator and then vice president within a few years, with Usha, a former litigation associate at a major law firm, adapting to public life alongside him.
The vice president’s next scheduled appearance will be at a campaign rally in Wisconsin.