Joy Reid is drawing attention for remarks suggesting that Vice President JD Vance’s marriage to Usha Vance could clash with the cultural identity politics of the MAGA movement.
Speaking during a recent segment on the I’ve Had It podcast, the former MSNBC host argued that Vance’s wife—who is Indian American—could pose a political barrier within a base she described as driven by Christian nationalist ideology.
“They can’t have the successor to MAGA be the guy with the Brown Hindu wife,” Reid said. “They’re also Christian nationalists. That ain’t going to work. That’s why he’s throwing his wife under the bus. Poor Usha. Or she’s in on it.”
Reid did not elaborate on what she meant by Vance “throwing his wife under the bus,” but framed the issue as a tension between the MAGA movement’s cultural identity and the image of a future Republican standard-bearer who is not married to a white, Christian woman.
Her comments add a new perspective to rumors that the vice president may be divorcing his wife. Joy also believes that J.D. could split from spouse Usha and begin romancing Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, before the 2028 presidential election if he runs for office.
By suggesting that Usha Vance’s identity may be politically inconvenient in far-right circles, Reid cast the couple’s public image into the broader national debate about race, religion, and who is seen as fitting into the modern conservative movement.
Whether Reid’s characterization and wild predictions resonate or are rejected by Republican voters remains tobe seen.
