No Wedding Ring Again: Usha Vance Fuels Marital Strife in Recent Outing with Melania Trump

Second Lady Usha Vance has intensified speculation about the state of her marriage to Vice President JD Vance with her recent outing with First Lady Melania Trump. For the second time, she stepped out without her wedding band, fuelling the rumors that her marriage to JD was going south.

Her team previously denied the rumours, citing her motherhood duties for ditching the wedding ring. Her latest sighting with Melania, however, offers little to no help to quell the alleged marital strife.

Back-to-Back Ringless Appearances

On Monday, 1 December, Usha Vance and Melania Trump reunited again for another joint engagement. The First and Second Ladies headed to Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland, for a holiday event with military families. They helped assemble 700 care packages for deployed service members overseas, The Daily Beastreported.

At the event, Usha was photographed with her bare finger yet again. The snap quickly circulated on social media, reigniting the marital strife rumours that had first surfaced weeks prior.

Usha was first photographed without her wedding ring in late November when she joined Melania at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina. Her ringless photos went viral immediately, sparking speculation about her and JD's marriage.

Official Explanation Met With Scepticism

The chatter about Usha Vance's ringless photos prompted her spokesperson to issue a statement to dispel speculation about her marriage. Her office attributed the absence of her wedding band to the realities of her family life.

Usha is 'a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes,' her spokesperson explained.

The defence, however, was not convincing enough for many, and only intensified the marital strife rumours involving the second couple. Some even questioned if Usha had no household help to perform such mundane tasks.

One X user called the explanation a 'cool story,' before pointing out that Usha was still able to put on her makeup and earrings, but 'conveniently forgets to wear her wedding ring before a major event.' Apparently, the social media user was not convinced by the reason given by Usha's office, calling it a 'very weak excuse.'

A Marriage Under Intense Scrutiny

JD and Usha Vance's marriage has been a topic of discussion for weeks for two reasons: the VP's onstage embrace with Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, and his statement about their different religions.

In October, Erika introduced JD at a TPUSA event. They hugged onstage, but many felt that it was inappropriate because it lasted longer than expected. Many also disapproved of how Erika held his head during the embrace.

Erika later explained that there was nothing more in the hug, citing that her natural way of expressing comfort is through 'touch.'

JD, a practicing Catholic, also raised eyebrows when he told an audience that he hoped Usha, who practices Hinduism, would choose to convert to Christianity. The VP said, 'I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.'

His statement drew widespread criticism, especially from Hindu-American advocacy groups and political commentators, who find it insensitive.

It remains unclear whether Usha's ringless appearances reflect the state of her marriage. One thing is sure, though, it only intensifies the speculations that her relationship with her husband, JD, is on the rocks and that they might head for divorce.