As US Vice President JD Vance sparked a heated debate by expressing hope that his Hindu wife Usha Vance would one day embrace Christianity, photographs showing him in a close embrace with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, added further fuel to the wildfire spreading the internet.
Vance and Erike Kirk, who were at the Turning Point USA event in Mississippi, were seen exchanging a close hug at the event with pictures of the moment going viral online.
Erika was seen wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with the word “Freedom” paired with black leather pants, while Vice President Vance was dressed in a blue suit. People on X were quick to point out how the hug between them gave an "impression of intimacy", with Erika placing her hands on Vance's head.
That Vance remarked how he would want his wife to convert to Christianity, like he himself did in 2019, made the optics that much more suspect.
“Now, most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church. As I’ve told her, and as I’ve said publicly- do I hope, eventually, that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by in church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way,” JD Vance said at the event. The remark drew an expected backlash on the internet, with many criticising them as being against religious freedom.
And then came the hug, which prompted many pro-Trump MAGA supporters on the internet to imagine a romantic link between Vance and Kirk and revive theories that the two may be on the ticket together in 2028.
One user commented: "The way they’re vibing, it’s screaming scandal. Nothing about this screams ‘Christian values’ to me."
"Wildly inappropriate . Her leather pants and Vance holding her waist? Fake Christian BS—he’s now saying he wants his wife to convert to Christianity—such Bs Fake," another remarked.
One user said it was almost like the plot of a movie. "Vance needs a wife who will pass the Christian nationalist test, and Erika Kirk wants to be First Lady."
Some users even suggested that Erika had a "very short" grieving period since Charlie Kirk’s passing.
JD Vance-Usha's marriage rumours
The hug, coupled with Vance's remarks, prompted users to start floating theories that the US Vice President will marry Kirk before the 2028 Presidential elections since the country may not accept a "Hindu First Lady"
Recently, Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki had speculated about the state of the Vances' marriage, suggesting Usha needs to be “saved” from her husband, which prompted Vance to defend his wife and denounce the comments as "disgraceful".
Some Christian conservative circles have even blamed Usha’s Hindu upbringing for “holding Vance back,” fueling debates about interfaith marriages in US public life.
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