At Tuesday’s interfaith service at Washington National Cathedral, all eyes were on the pulpit and on Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s plea to President Donald Trump. But as soon as the Right Rev. Budde shifted into her now-viral “have mercy” appeal, the camera also captured the second couple: JD Vance was fidgeting away in his seat, and his wife, Usha Vance, didn’t play along.
Trump’s own reaction was classic, though. After a few stares and visible discomfort, he unleashed on Truth Social later that night, calling Budde a “so-called Bishop” and a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.”
But JD Vance may have stolen a slice of the spotlight with his body language. And we have a clearer (?) picture of what went down between JD and Usha in Row One, thanks to a breakdown by HuffPost. JD is said to have shot his wife two glances. The first time was when Budde mentioned LGBTQ+ children, then again at the mention of migrants. Usha Vance didn’t bother to budge.
Will Usha Vance leave JD before the end of his term.
Yes or No??? pic.twitter.com/sOJaruaFWD
— 💙Brittney💙 (@AZ_Brittney) November 3, 2025
Writer Feminista Jones watched from afar and summed up that Usha Vance “is NOT comfortable with him leaning her way to try to talk.” Some on the internet insisted Usha was making a stand. Others suggested she was showing decorum. A few even noted that in the past, she once clerked for Justice Brett Kavanaugh, politically speaking.
Body language expert Karen Donaldson explained that JD was also trying to make Usha Vance feel uncomfortable. “Vance was trying to gain quick support and buy-in of his displeasure,” Donaldson said. “But Usha was not reciprocating.” Her posture never shifted toward her husband, who had allegedly taken a liking to late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk.
Therapist and triangulation expert Paul Hokemeyer, on the other hand, said that when people feel stuck between an uncomfortable moment and the person causing it, they try to pull in a third for reinforcement. Vance tried that with Usha and later with Trump. Hokemeyer even praised Usha’s focus: “It spoke to her ability to remain open-minded to what [Budde] was saying.”
DID YOU KNOW for 25 years Matthew Shepard had no permanent resting place due to concerns his grave would be vandalized, and when Reverend Budde learned of this, she invited the Shepards to inter him inside the Washington National Cathedral. She co-officiated the service which… pic.twitter.com/KJ0jpcXm8R
— Nurses Against Dick Pics. 🪷🇺🇦 (@ClaudetteGGibs1) January 24, 2025
NEXT UP: Trump and Vance Nowhere to Be Found on Dick Cheney’s Funeral Invite List
As the sermon went on, though, JD Vance’s frustration began showing in micro-expressions like his usual narrowed eyes, and then he pressed his lips to look irritated. When Budde called for mercy toward immigrants and LGBTQ+ families, he tried to disconnect. Commentators online read this as “rage.” But body language specialist Traci Brown disagrees. And says that rage has harsher facial shifts. She argues that what JD showed was more like a focus marked by unhappiness. Or, as she put it, “petulant.”
The only person who looked more checked out than Usha Vance was Melania Trump with her pout!
Anyway, a lot of recent headlines have been looking at Usha’s stiff public appearances with JD, from places like Walter Reed to the Marine Corps Ball. But was the cathedral moment another breadcrumb of distance in their marriage? Only time will tell.
RELATED: Body Language Expert Spills the Tea on Melania Trump & Usha Vance’s Latest Moment
