Joy Reid Ignites Firestorm with Shocking Claim: Vance Eyeing 'White Queen' Swap for 2028 White House Run?

Washington, D.C. – November 26, 2025 – In a bombshell podcast appearance that's already drawing accusations of racism and misogyny from across the political spectrum, former MSNBC host Joy Reid floated a wild theory Tuesday night: Vice President JD Vance might ditch his Indian-American wife, Usha, for conservative activist Erika Kirk – the recently widowed CEO of Turning Point USA – in a calculated bid to woo the MAGA base ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign.

The comments, delivered with a mix of sarcasm and speculation on the "I've Had It" podcast hosted by Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pump" Sullivan, have exploded online, with critics labeling them "vile" and "deranged." Reid, who was ousted from MSNBC earlier this year amid ratings woes and internal network drama, didn't hold back as she dissected Vance's political vulnerabilities.

"They can't have the successor to MAGA be the guy with the brown Hindu wife," Reid declared, referring to Usha Vance, a Yale-educated lawyer and the mother of the vice president's three children. "They're also Christian nationalists – that ain't going to work. That's why he's throwing his wife under the bus. Poor Usha. Or she's in on it, right?"

The conversation quickly veered into tabloid territory when Welch referenced a viral clip from last month's Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi. There, Vance shared an extended onstage embrace with Erika Kirk, the 38-year-old widow of slain conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down in a shocking assassination during a Utah speaking engagement in September. The hug – in which Kirk appeared to cradle Vance's head – has fueled weeks of online chatter, with some conservatives dismissing it as a moment of shared grief and others, like Welch, dubbing it "slap and tickle" fodder."

Playing slap and tickle with Erika Kirk – it's the weirdest sh-- I've ever seen," Welch quipped, evoking laughter from her co-hosts. "She's like in her Tammy Faye era." Reid piled on, mocking Kirk's leather pants at the memorial: "You supposed to be a widow, you in leather pants? That's not widow wear."

From there, Reid spun her headline-grabbing hypothesis: "Wouldn't it be the most perfect fairy tale, MAGA fairy tale, if he finally sees the light that he needs a white queen instead of this brown Hindu? I mean, I'm not saying that's happening... or maybe that Usha is not even in on it."

The remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of the Vance marriage. Usha Vance, 39, stepped out ringless at a high-profile D.C. gala last week, prompting whispers in elite circles. Vance, the Ohio senator turned Trump's vice presidential pick, has leaned heavily into his Rust Belt roots and "Hillbilly Elegy" persona, but Reid argued his wife's heritage could alienate the "fundamentally racist" core of the MAGA movement – a base she likened to the anti-immigrant Tea Party of yesteryear.

Backlash erupted almost immediately. Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point USA spokesman, fired off a blistering X post calling the trio "three deranged, likely post-menopausal women" who had "flippantly turn[ed] a moment of shared grief into a sexualized liberal fever dream," projecting "their own racism and disdain for Christians" onto Kirk, the Vances, and "half the country." Conservative outlets like Fox News and The Washington Times amplified the outrage, with headlines branding Reid's take a "deranged conspiracy theory."

Even some left-leaning voices on X distanced themselves, with one user posting, "Joy, you're not wrong about the optics, but this is straight-up ugly." Others rallied to Usha Vance's defense, tagging her handle with pleas like, "He doesn't deserve you – be your authentic self, dump him."

Neither the vice president's office nor Turning Point USA has issued an official response as of press time. Erika Kirk, who took the helm of the influential youth conservative group after her husband's death, has previously brushed off the hug rumors as "grief-stricken nonsense" in a brief statement. Usha Vance, known for her low-key support of her husband's rise, has remained silent.

Reid, undeterred by the firestorm, wrapped her podcast riff by tying it back to broader Trump-era dynamics: "Hatred and non-white immigrants – that's what this is about." For a commentator who's built a career on unfiltered hot takes, this latest salvo cements her post-MSNBC pivot into podcast provocateur. But as 2028 speculation heats up, one thing's clear: In the game of political thrones, even fairy tales can turn into scandals overnight.