Vice President JD Vance likely meant to share a touching story about how he found the woman he wanted to spend his life with. Instead, many readers walked away wondering why his wife seemed to come second in her own love story.
Trump’s henchment has readers zeroed in on the way he recently gushed over another woman before abruptly pivoting back to Usha.
Some critics say he sounded emotionally invested in the ex than the woman he married and is expecting a fourth child with. The unromantic reflection quickly turned into an awkward conversation about who comes first.
A warm Mother’s Day preview of JD Vance’s upcoming book quickly turned into a social media pile-on after readers focused on his candid comments about dating another woman before Usha and becoming “obsessed” with his future wife while still in that relationship.
Excerpts from Vance’s new memoir, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” surfaced Sunday ahead of its June 16 release via USA Today.
But instead of focusing on faith, readers became locked in on the section detailing Vance’s relationship with a former girlfriend named Mary, whom he dated during college and into his early days at Yale Law School.
According to the eyeliner-heavy politician, Mary checked every box on paper.
“She was sweet,” Vance wrote, adding that she wanted the same things out of life he did: “A nice house, a decent job, and a couple of kids.” He also noted that his family liked her and that there were no major dealbreakers in the relationship.
The problem, VP admitted, was that he never truly felt devastated by the thought of losing her.
“I don’t think I have that gene or something,” he recalled telling his friend Mike. “I’ve just never fallen head over heels for a girl.”
That all changed when he met Usha Bala Chilukuri during his first year at Yale. While still dating Mary long-distance from New Haven, Vance found himself consumed by thoughts of someone else entirely — and eventually called Mike with a confession that has since gone viral.
“Dude, I think I’m obsessed with this chick in my small group. It’s unhealthy,” he wrote, adding, “She doesn’t even walk like normal people. She glides across the room.”
He also described her laugh as “the best sound” he had ever heard and claimed everyone else began to feel like “a dim light bulb set against Usha’s radiance.”
Eventually, Vance broke things off with Mary, writing that while long distance contributed to the breakup, the bigger reason was simple: he “couldn’t imagine settling for anyone else” besides Usha.
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On Facebook, Daily Beast readers weren’t buying the passage as romantic. Critics argued the excerpt sounded less like a sweeping love story and more like a man publicly admitting he emotionally exited one relationship before ending it.
“What a sad example of a human,” one person wrote. Another added, “How long before someone finds Mary and we get her side of the story? Or more likely doesn’t find Mary because she never existed.”
Vance cut ties with Mary to be with Usha, who is expecting the couple’s fourth child. But it’s not Usha who got the upper hand. “Mary dodged a bullet on this one!” said one critic. Another exclaimed, “Poor Usha. Four kids with J.D. She’s stuck.”
“The Veep needs to stop writing and talking,” one person stated bluntly. “He only sounds weirder when he does either. Run Usha, run!”
Things got even messier after Vance tied the memoir rollout to Mother’s Day while promoting the excerpt online.
“Happy Mother’s Day to moms everywhere, especially to @SLOTUS Usha Vance!” he posted while encouraging followers to read the passage from his book.
Happy Mother’s Day to moms everywhere, especially to @SLOTUS Usha Vance! pic.twitter.com/t1BPna0oeI
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) May 10, 2026
Critics immediately accused him of turning the holiday into a marketing campaign.
One person pointed out, “Interesting how on Mother’s Day, you chose to post an excerpt of your book that is mostly about you.”
Another called him a “cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater,” for lusting over another woman while in a relationship.
“They once looked happy together,” noted one Facebook user about Vance and Usha. “He connected himself to the wrong people. He should have put his wife first.”
The backlash arrives as scrutiny surrounding the Vances’ marriage continues to grow online. Just weeks ago, JD was criticized after cameras caught him hurrying up the steps of Air Force Two while Usha, visibly pregnant, slowly followed behind. Though he eventually stopped to wait for her, the footage quickly fueled fresh speculation about the couple’s dynamic.
More recently, people were outraged at the way he talked about his pregnant wife’s feelings after the shooting during the Correspondence Dinner left attendees scrambling. For many, it seemed she was an afterthought and good fodder for his political word salads to the press.
Now, what was intended to showcase the vice president’s spiritual journey has instead become another viral conversation about ego, oversharing, and whether Vance accidentally confirmed the exact criticism he has spent months trying to shake.
