US Politics
Vance tells commentators who bash his wife to ‘eat s***’ and that antisemitism has no place in GOP
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Vice President JD Vance fired back at critics who bash his wife, Usha Vance, telling them they can “eat s***.”
“Let me be clear,” Vance said in an interview with UnHerd published on Monday. “Anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat s***. That’s my official policy as vice president of the United States.”
Psaki, who was White House press secretary during President Joe Biden’s administration, questioned on a podcast in October whether Usha Vance might need to be rescued from her husband.
“I always wonder what’s going on in the mind of his wife,” Psaki, who presents a show on MS NOW, said. “Like, are you OK? Please blink four times. Come over here, we’ll save you.”
Meanwhile, Fuentes has referred to the second lady — the daughter of Indian immigrants — as a “jeet.” The far-right streamer, who openly identifies as a racist and has expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler, has also labeled Vance a “race-traitor” for marrying her.
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Still, Vance downplayed Fuentes’ importance in Republican politics.
“I think that Nick Fuentes, his influence within Donald Trump’s administration, and within a whole host of institutions on the Right, is vastly overstated, and frankly, it’s overstated by people who want to avoid having a foreign-policy conversation about America’s relationship with Israel.”” the vice president told interviewer Sohrab Ahmari.
His remarks echoed his comments made earlier this month, when he told NBC News that he disagrees with Republicans who claim antisemitism is “exploding” on the right.
The vice president went on to state that anti-Jewish sentiment has no place in the GOP.
“Antisemitism, and all forms of ethnic hatred have no place in the conservative movement,” he said. “Whether you’re attacking somebody because they’re white or because they’re black or because they’re Jewish, I think it’s disgusting.”
The debate over Israel and antisemitism took center stage at Turning Point USA’s annual conference last week, which featured Vance, Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson as speakers.
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Shapiro accused some MAGA influencers of platforming extremist voices who have promulgated conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s death. He singled out Carlson, who has raised doubts about the government’s investigation.
“The conservative movement is … in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty,” Shapiro said.
Carlson, who took the stage shortly after Shapiro, said that GOP leaders should resist the move to “deplatform and denounce,” stating that the rush to sideline those accused of bigotry “is the number one reason I voted for Donald Trump.”
The former Fox News personality, who said he supports Vance, added that he is engaged in a “proxy war” for the future of the conservative movement.
Vance, meanwhile, sought to minimize divisions, stating that he rejected “purity tests” on the right.
“I know some of you are discouraged by the infighting over any number of issues,” the vice president said. “Don’t be discouraged. Wouldn’t you rather lead a movement of free thinkers who sometimes disagree than a bunch of drones who take their word from George Soros?”