Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Usha Vance Laughs Off El-Sayed’s ‘Papaw’ Remark About Her Heritage
Usha Vance is married to Vice President JD Vance.
A Michigan political candidate named Abdul El-Sayed made a joke about whether JD would take Usha back in time to meet JD’s grandfather.
Some people thought the joke was about Usha’s Indian family background.
They said it suggested JD’s grandparents might not have accepted her.
El-Sayed said he was really criticizing the idea that people whose families arrived earlier are more American.
Usha said she laughed at the comment.
She also said JD’s family treated her like family and that she wished she could have met his grandparents.
El-Sayed was criticized for another social media post aimed at a Trump aide.
Usha Vance said she “kind of laughed” at Abdul El-Sayed’s social media remark about whether JD Vance would take her back in time to meet his grandfather, “Papaw.”
Critics interpreted El-Sayed’s post as referencing Usha’s Indian heritage and questioned whether JD Vance’s white grandparents would have accepted her.
El-Sayed later said he was challenging the idea that Americans with longer family histories are more authentically American.
Usha said she never met JD Vance’s grandparents but loved the children they raised and had always been welcomed by his Ohio family.
El-Sayed also faced criticism over a separate post targeting Trump aide Natalie Harp, with critics accusing him of sexism, misogyny and racism.
- Who
- Second Lady Usha Vance, Vice President JD Vance, and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
- What
- A dispute followed El-Sayed’s “Papaw” social media remark, which critics viewed as a reference to Usha Vance’s Indian heritage.
- When
- El-Sayed posted the remark on August 22, 2026; Usha responded publicly on August 25, 2026.
- Where
- The remarks concerned JD Vance’s Ohio family and were made on social media and in media interviews.
- Why
- El-Sayed said he was questioning claims that people with longer American family histories are more American, while critics said the post appeared to invoke Usha’s race or ethnicity.
El-Sayed’s Explanation
Critics’ Interpretation
Meaning of the “Papaw” remark
El-Sayed’s Explanation
El-Sayed said the post questioned the idea that people with older American family histories have greater belonging or are more American.
Critics’ Interpretation
Critics interpreted the remark as suggesting that JD Vance’s white grandparents might not have accepted Usha, who is Indian American.
Usha’s place in Vance’s family
El-Sayed’s Explanation
The remark was presented by El-Sayed as a broader argument about national belonging rather than a direct statement about Usha’s race.
Critics’ Interpretation
Usha emphasized that JD Vance’s relatives welcomed her, treated her as family and made her feel at home in Ohio.
Broader conduct criticism
El-Sayed’s Explanation
El-Sayed’s supporters and his campaign did not provide a response to the reported accusations in the article.
Critics’ Interpretation
Critics accused him of racism, sexism and misogyny over the “Papaw” remark and a separate post targeting Natalie Harp.
- Central figure
- Usha Vance, the Second Lady of the United States
- Political figure criticized
- Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for the Michigan Senate
- Original remark
- El-Sayed asked whether JD Vance would take Usha “back in time to meet Papaw.”
- Usha’s response
- She said, “I have to admit, I kind of laughed.”
- El-Sayed’s explanation
- He said he was challenging the idea that some Americans are more American because their families were in the country earlier.
- Family reference
- JD Vance’s grandfather James Vance was described as a welder who worked for 40 years.
- Additional controversy
- El-Sayed was also criticized for a post directed at Trump aide Natalie Harp.