Vice President JD Vance reportedly delivered a blunt and unmistakable message to critics who have attacked his wife, making clear that neither political status nor ideological alignment earns a pass for personal or ethnic abuse. In a wide-ranging interview published Sunday night by UnHerd, Vance said his response to such attacks is simple and final: they can “eat sh*t.”
“Let me be clear,” Vance said in the interview. “Anyone who attacks my wife, whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat sh*t. That’s my official policy as vice president of the United States.”
Vance’s remarks were aimed at a mix of figures from across the political spectrum, including Fuentes, a far-right provocateur who has openly praised Adolf Hitler, and former Biden administration press secretary Jen Psaki. The vice president told UnHerd writer Sohrab Ahmari that attacks on his family cross a line and have nothing to do with legitimate political debate.
He went further, stating unequivocally that “all forms of ethnic hatred,” including antisemitism, have “no place in the conservative movement.” Vance’s comments were framed as a rejection of racial and religious animus, regardless of whether it comes from the left or the right.
The comments come after Fuentes repeatedly targeted Vance for marrying Usha Vance, an American citizen born in San Diego to two Hindu Indian immigrants. Fuentes labeled the vice president a “race traitor” and used derogatory language toward Indians when referring to the second lady. Fuentes has a long record of racist and antisemitic rhetoric and said earlier this month during an appearance with Piers Morgan that he believed Adolf Hitler was “really f*cking cool.”
Vance’s forceful response underscored his refusal to tolerate attacks on his family, particularly those rooted in race or religion. The vice president’s stance reflects an effort to draw a sharp boundary within conservative politics, rejecting figures who traffic in open bigotry while defending his administration’s broader cultural agenda.
The interview was published just hours after Vance addressed a large crowd at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, where he praised President Donald Trump for dismantling federal diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Vance said Trump had correctly “relegated DEI to the dustbin of history,” arguing that such programs undermine American values and a merit-based society.
“We don’t treat anybody different because of their race or their sex,” Vance told the audience, a line that drew strong applause. He framed the rollback of DEI as a restoration of fairness rather than a departure from equality.
Vance expanded on that theme by rejecting identity-based expectations altogether. “In the United States of America, you don’t have to apologize for being white anymore,” he said. He added that Asian Americans should not feel compelled to navigate their racial identity when applying for college, emphasizing that Americans should be judged on who they are rather than characteristics they cannot control.
He continued by saying that Americans are not persecuted for being male, straight, gay, or anything else. “The only thing that we demand is that you be a great American patriot,” Vance said. “And if you’re that, you’re very much on our team.”
Taken together, Vance’s remarks at AmericaFest and in the UnHerd interview paint a consistent message: zero tolerance for racial hatred, firm defense of his family, and a broader push to move American politics away from identity-based divisions and back toward merit, patriotism, and equal treatment under the law.
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