Second Lady Usha Vance has lifted the lid on how she handles disagreements with her husband, her past Democratic support and how she keeps an open mind when counseling him privately.
Vance, 40, was a registered Democrat until 2014, the same year she married JD Vance, who went on to be elected vice president of the United States a decade later.
One Ohio Senate run and a VP bid later, the couple have forged a close bond where she advises him on topics that matter to JD personally.
‘There are conversations all the time,’ Vance told NBC News in an interview. ‘I do really like to understand what’s going on in his world, what he’s really focused on, what concerns he has, because it’s a marriage.’
‘I want to be supportive of him, and if I don’t really know what’s going on, then I can’t do that.’
Though they don’t always agree, she said.
‘I’m not his staffer. I’m not involved in this in any professional sense. … There’s no expectation that we are going to see eye to eye on everything,’ Vance said.
‘The expectation is that we are going to be open-minded and have a conversation, and that I’ll provide meaningful input from, you know, the perspective of someone who loves him and wants him to succeed,’ she said. ‘So even if we don’t agree, it’s — I think it’s always very productive.’
Some of those disagreements may be colored by her past Democratic support, but she reiterated that she’s never felt the need to rehash or denounce her beliefs.
‘I do feel very comfortable in that no one has ever asked me to engage in any kind of litmus test on anything,’ Vance said in the interview. ‘And what I’ve found is that I was myself in 2014. I can be myself today. And I feel very comfortable in that world.’
‘I don’t feel like I have to walk around pretending anything of any sort. I didn’t think I had to do that [in 2014], actually. Sometimes I have thoughts that fit very comfortably into one side or another. Sometimes I have views that are way more idiosyncratic,’ she continued. ‘And it’s a world that I think is actually rather accepting of that, since everyone knows that I really care greatly about JD’s success.’
The Second Lady, a mother of three who is expecting a fourth this summer, announced on Monday a new podcast advocating for childhood literacy.
‘Storytime With the Second Lady,’ will feature prominent figures – like NASCAR legend Danica Patrick – alongside Vance as they read short stories and discuss their central themes in 15-minute episodes meant for young children.
She’s said the decline in literacy rates among children is ‘worrisome,’ adding that she wanted to do something to correct course.
‘If I was going to do anything, this would be the thing to focus on at this moment in time,’ she said.
It is not the first time the Second Lady has advocated for reading.
Vance promoted a program last year called the ‘Summer Reading Challenge’ where children were asked to read 12 books over the school break. Those who completed the challenge would receive a small prize and certificate, according to the competition rules.
