With all the affair rumors surrounding JD Vance and Charlie Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk — which began with that viral video in October showing Erika giving the VPOTUS a cozy hug — it’s no surprise that JD and Usha Vance are facing another round of scrutiny over their marriage. On December 6, the Vances hosted a Christmas party at their Washington, D.C. residence to honor action star Sylvester Stallone, and it was clear their chemistry is really fading. During his speech, JD recounted a strange moment in which Donald Trump went off on a tangent about shoe sizes and what they supposedly reveal about a man.

“Today I’m in the Oval Office with the President and Marco Rubio, and we’re talking about something really important. The President kind of holds up his hand and says … ‘Hold on a second. There’s something more important — shoes.’” Apparently, Trump thought their shoes were terrible and offered to buy new pairs for Rubio, JD, and another unnamed politician. “Marco’s apparently an eleven and a half. … My shoe size is 13,” JD recalled. “I asked this politician, who I won’t embarrass, what his shoe size is, and he says, seven. The President leans back in his chair and says, ‘You know — you can tell a lot about a man by his shoe size.’” Uh-huh.

Standing beside JD as he told this bizarre story was Usha, who went from looking bored to mildly interested to zoning out once again. But at least she didn’t forget to wear her wedding ring this time; the second lady of the United States previously caused a stir when she was spotted sans her wedding ring during an official engagement with first lady Melania Trump. According to JD, though, it was all just a big misunderstanding.

JD claims his marriage to Usha is going strong

JD Vance has addressed the rumors swirling about his marriage and impending divorce to Usha Vance. “With anything in life, you take the good with the bad. You accept that there are some sacrifices and there are some very good things that come along with it, too,” he told NBC News on December 4 when asked to comment on the wedding ring drama. “But our marriage is as strong as it’s ever been.” In fact, according to JD, he and Usha enjoy poking fun at the social media buzz surrounding their relationship. Recalling an incident where Usha forgot to grab her wedding ring shortly before leaving the house, “She was like, ‘Oh, if I don’t go back and get them, there’s going to be some ridiculous psycho who talks about it on social media. And I was like, let them,” says the vice president. “It’s not even worth the trip to run back upstairs. So we actually have a little bit of fun with it.”

Admittedly, there are moments when the relentless scrutiny can be quite challenging for the family. But thankfully, Usha has handled it all with grace: “I think Usha’s really taken to it, and it’s been kind of cool to see how she’s developed and evolved in this new role.”

Meanwhile, Erika Kirk can’t seem to stop yapping about JD amid rumors that she and the VPOTUS are getting close. On December 3, she spoke at the annual New York Times DealBook Summit, where Charlie Kirk’s widow expressed her intention to support JD should he run for president in 2028. “He’s a dear friend. My husband and him were very good friends,” Erika pointed out. “I do have to say, yes, we adore JD, and my husband was very vocal about endorsing him.” As one user on X quipped, “Well sure, she does. She wants to [be the] First Lady.”