Beverly Vance Aikins, the mother of Vice President JD Vance, has expressed her strong displeasure with Michigan Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed following his repeated criticisms aimed at her son and his family.
Aikins recently spoke in an interview where she discussed various topics, including her personal journey overcoming opioid addiction, the Netflix film "Hillbilly Elegy," and her son's ascent to the vice presidency. Her comments regarding El-Sayed came after a series of public remarks from the Democratic candidate targeting the Vance family.
When asked whether she dismisses such comments or finds them upsetting, Aikins stated, "I mean, it makes me mad, honestly, because he doesn't know JD, and he doesn't know, you know, what type of person he is, and I do." She added, in a lighthearted tone, "But, in the long run. I'm not going to do anything about it. … I'd probably punch the guy if I ever seen him, and then that would get me in trouble. So, I'll just go with the flow."
El-Sayed's Previous Remarks on Vance Family
El-Sayed's criticisms have included comments about Second Lady Usha Vance and the Vance children, made during an April appearance on "The Allen Analysis Show." Clips of these remarks have recently gained renewed attention.
Aikins attributed El-Sayed's statements to envy. "I think they're jealous, honestly. I mean, JD is 42 years old. He's handsome. He's the vice president of the United States," she explained. "He's got a beautiful wife, four beautiful children, and jealousy is the only thing I can think of. I mean, he can take all the shots he wants. It's going to go, you know, it's going to get no merit from any of us."
In his April remarks, El-Sayed suggested a conflict between the vice president's political stances and the biracial background of his children. "JD Vance has brown kids who he thinks are less American than everyone else. Like, that's wild to look at your own kids and be like you don’t actually belong as much in this country that I brought you into," El-Sayed said. "Bro, it must break you every time you hug your own kids."
The Michigan politician also voiced a hope that Vance's children would eventually "undo" their father's political views. Furthermore, he appeared to encourage the Second Lady to leave her husband, stating, "Usha get out … you’ve still got time."
Recent Exchange and Vance's Response
More recently, El-Sayed launched another attack after Vice President Vance criticized him during an Ohio rally for his stated adherence to Sharia law. Vance suggested that such a practice would be completely foreign to his grandfather, whom he refers to as his "Papaw."
In response, El-Sayed commented, "So, do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no," a remark widely perceived as a reference to the Second Lady's Indian heritage.
Vice President Vance addressed El-Sayed’s most recent comments while campaigning for GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers in Michigan.
"I actually think that the people of Michigan think it's kind of weird when you talk about another guy's wife," Vance stated. He then added in his speech, "But whatever you want to talk about, Abdul, keep my wife's name the hell out of your mouth, because she's way out of your league."
