Vice President JD Vance lauded his wife, Usha Vance, for her financial acumen after she purchased a coral maternity dress for less than $10, a move that drew attention following commentary from The New York Times. Vance suggested his wife should be appointed director of the federal budget.
Usha Vance, who is expecting the couple's fourth child, publicly addressed criticism from The New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman. Friedman's article, titled "The Politics and Power of the Pregnancy Image," examined the public pregnancies of prominent women in the Trump administration, including Usha Vance, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
Friedman's piece began with a Father's Day video shared by the Vances. In the video, Usha Vance discusses their growing family with her husband. Friedman noted Usha Vance's "stretchy coral dress" that emphasized her pregnancy, suggesting that such images contributed to the administration's public image regarding family and fertility.
Usha Vance shared a screenshot of her purchase on X, formerly Twitter, revealing the dress was originally priced at $49.99 and was marked down to $12.49, with an additional discount bringing the final price to $8.75. She quipped about the political significance of her purchase and humorously questioned what the Times would say about her more casual attire, such as her elastic-waistband pants and compression socks.
Vice President Vance amplified his wife's response, retweeting her post with the comment: "She bought a $50 dress for $8.75. America: meet your next director of the federal budget!" He also retweeted her critique of the newspaper.
Friedman's article posited that while the timing of the pregnancies was coincidental, they collectively presented a consistent image of the administration's agenda on family and fertility. She drew a parallel between the public image of masculinity associated with the UFC fighters hosted by President Trump and the image of femininity projected by pregnant women in the Trump administration.
The columnist also suggested that Usha Vance's pregnancy helped humanize the Vice President in her role as Second Lady. Vance has recently been promoting his new book, "Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith," which details his religious journey and has been seen by some as a potential prelude to a future presidential campaign.