JD Vance agrees white supremacist Nick Fuentes' attacks on his wife Usha are “racist garbage,” but defends Donald Trump dining with him.
In a Saturday interview with ABC News' Jon Karl that aired Sunday, Vance was asked about Fuentes, who has praised Hitler, attacking Vance for his marriage to an Indian woman.
“What kind of a man marries somebody named Usha? Clearly, he doesn't value his racial identity, his heritage,” Fuentes said.
“I mean, this is racist garbage,” Karl said.
“Yes, it is,” Vance responded.
“But this is also a guy that dined with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago during this campaign,” Karl said.
“Well, Donald Trump doesn't know anything about, and frankly doesn't care for, but, yeah, look, my attitude to these people attacking my wife is, she's beautiful, she's smart. What kind of man marries Usha? A very smart man and a very lucky man, importantly," the Republican vice presidential nominee said. “If these guys want to attack me or attack my views, my policy views, my personality, come after me but don't attack my wife. She's out of your league.”
But when Karl pressed Vance about Trump's dinner with the neo-Nazi in 2022, the Ohio senator said the former president was within his right.
“He actually will talk to anybody. But just because you talk to somebody doesn't mean you endorse their views,” Vance said. “Donald Trump has spent a lot of quality time with my wife. Every time he sees her, he gives her a hug, tells her she's beautiful, and jokes around with her a little bit. I’m not at all worried about Donald Trump.”
