US vice president JD Vance on Monday issued a warning to Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed after the latter invoked Vance’s wife, second lady Usha Vance, while also taking a swipe at the Republican over remarks about his late grandfather.
"Keep my wife's name the hell out of your mouth," Vance said during a MAGA rally in Michigan to back Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. He also described El-Sayed as "very, very evil".
The controversy broke out after Vance attacked El-Sayed over remarks he had previously made about Sharia law at a rally in Ohio.
Vance said he wished he could travel back in time and speak to his late grandfather, whom he refers to as "Papaw", about a politician who says he stands for working people while supporting Sharia law and viewing opposition to it as white supremacy.
"That's not my grandpa's Democratic Party," he said.
El-Sayed later replied on X to a video of Vance speaking about his grandfather, bringing Usha Vance into the conversation. Usha is the daughter of Indian immigrants and grew up in a Hindu family.
"So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…," he wrote on X.
Vance accused him of having a "weird habit of talking about my family" and then issued a direct warning over references to his wife.
"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," he added.
Notably, El-Sayed, a progressive, had narrowly beaten establishment-backed Representative Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary.
Speaking on Fox News' ‘Fox & Friends’, Usha said El-Sayed's comments made her laugh.
"I have to admit, I kind of laughed," she said.
"Because yes, I never met JD's Mamaw and Papaw. But I do know and love the children that they raised, his mom, his aunt and uncle. And they have never been anything but incredibly loving,” she added.
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