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By Khaleda Rahman and Shane Croucher
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A White House official called Jen Psaki a "dumbass" and a "moron" after she made mocking remarks about Second Lady Usha Vance and her marriage to Vice President JD Vance.
Psaki, a former White House press secretary under President Joe Biden, who now hosts her own show on MSNBC, had been speaking on an episode of the "I've Had It" podcast that was released Tuesday.
"I always wonder what's going on in the mind of his wife," Psaki said, referring to Usha Vance. "Like, are you OK? Please blink four times. Come over here, we'll save you."
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The podcast episode's description on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts referenced the comment, stating: "Usha Vance, please blink twice if you need help."
Steven Cheung, the current White House director of communications, hit back in a post on X. Psaki "must be transferring her own personal issues onto others," Cheung wrote, sharing the clip of her comments.
Newsweek has contacted the Vice President’s office and Psaki through MSNBC for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours.
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Why It Matters
The couple have been in the spotlight since President Donald Trump picked Vance to be his running mate in the 2024 presidential election. That scrutiny could increase as Trump has suggested Vance is likely the heir apparent to his MAGA movement. In an interview earlier this year, Usha Vance said she was "not plotting out" the next steps, adding that she would be happy to be "along for the ride" if her husband became president.
The couple met at Yale Law School, got married in 2014 and have three children. She worked as a trial lawyer for the Munger, Tolles and Olson law firm, but left shortly after her husband was chosen as Trump’s running mate.
What to Know
Cheung called Psaki "a dumbass who has no comprehension of the truth and has to overcompensate for her lack of talent by saying untrue things."
"Circle back on that, moron," he added, referring to a common phrase Psaki used when talking to reporters while she was press secretary.
In the podcast, Psaki had also said she thought Vance is "scarier in certain ways" than Trump.
She said the "little Manchurian candidate JD Vance wants to be president more than anything else" and that "he's willing to do anything to get there," calling him "a chameleon who makes himself into whatever he thinks the audience wants to hear from him."
But Psaki added that she thinks Vance will struggle to take the MAGA movement with him because he has "no rizz"—meaning charisma—and is "a little odd."
Conservatives slammed Psaki’s comments on social media, with conservative activist Jack Posobiec calling them "absolutely disgusting."
What People Are Saying
The Libs of TikTok account wrote on X: ”Unhinged Jen Psaki is now smearing JD Vance, suggesting that his wife, Usha, wants to leave her husband and offers to 'save' her. She also thinks JD Vance is 'scarier' than Donald Trump. @MSNBC should be ashamed to pay her salary.”
Conservative activist Jack Posobiec called Psaki’s comments “absolutely disgusting” in a post on X, adding that Usha Vance "is accompanying JD right now in Israel securing the Gaza Peace Deal.”
What's Next
Vance headed to Israel for talks on Tuesday, accompanied by his wife. They are set to return later this week.
Update 10/22/25, 3:40 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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