JD and Usha Vance married in 2014, no evidence of previous marriages | Fact check

The claim: JD Vance has been divorced twice

A July 17 Threads post (direct link, archive link) suggests Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance is hypocritical for his past comments on divorce.

“Vance, twice divorced, chastised others for divorcing like changing unerwear (sic).” 

It was reposted more than 150 times in two days.

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Our rating: False

Vance has been married to his current wife since 2014. A spokesman for Vance said he has not been married previously, and there is no credible evidence indicating otherwise.

Trump divorced twice before current marriage, not Vance

Usha Vance introduced her husband, JD Vance, for his speech accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention on July 17. 

The pair were married in Kentucky in 2014, as reported by the New York Times. And they were in a relationship for around three years prior to that, given JD Vance wrote in a nostalgic 2022 post on X, formerly Twitter, that his now-wife was his “new girlfriend” 11 years prior.

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Luke Schroeder, a Vance spokesman, told USA TODAY in an email the claim is false.

"Senator Vance was not married prior to his marriage with Usha," Schroeder said.

There are no reports from legitimate news outlets that support the claim that the Ohio senator was married before then. The post offers no evidence to support its claim.

It’s a different story for his running mate, however. Former President Donald Trump was divorced twice before marrying Melania Trump in 2005. He was married to Ivana Trump from 1977 until 1992, and he was married to Marla Maples from 1993 until 1999.

The second part of the Threads post is a reference to comments Vance made as a Senate nominee in 2021. 

Vance was discussing shifts in societal attitudes toward marriage and parenting when he said in part that it has been made “easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear,” as reported by VICE.

USA TODAY reached out to Vance's office and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Luke Schroeder, July 19, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• The New York Times, July 17, Who is Usha Vance, the Wife of J.D. Vance?
• JD Vance, Aug. 2, 2022, X post 
• VICE, July 25, 2022, JD Vance Suggests People in ‘Violent’ Marriages Shouldn’t Get Divorced

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