‘Meet your next director of the federal budget!’: Usha Vance’s $8 dollar dress gets JD’s approval as story goes viral

WASHINGTON: US Second Lady Usha Vance’s choice of a $8 maternity dress purchased from Old Navy has now found approval from her husband JD who jokingly suggested that his wife should lead the federal budget. The comment follows Usha taking a dig at the media which went into a tailspin examining the political symbolism of her maternity wardrobe.

In a post on X on Thursday (local time), JD Vance said, “She bought a $50 dress for $8.75. America: meet your next director of the federal budget!”, as he shared a picture of the receipt of his wife’s dress.

She bought a $50 dress for $8.75. America: meet your next director of the federal budget! https://t.co/j3upM1r3yF

— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 25, 2026

His remarks came after Usha Vance responded to a New York Times fashion column that analysed the public presentation of prominent women in the Trump administration who are expecting children.

In a post on X, the second lady said, “Now that we know the political significance of my $8.75 coral maternity dress from Old Navy, can’t wait to hear what the New York Times has to say about my elastic-waistband pants and compression socks! In the meantime, enjoy my pregnancy fashion (or lack thereof) and a good story with your kids on Storytime with the Second Lady”. She added while showing the picture of the receipt, “And here’s the receipt!”

Now that we know the political significance of my $8.75 coral maternity dress from Old Navy, can’t wait to hear what the New York Times has to say about my elastic-waistband pants and compression socks! In the meantime, enjoy my pregnancy fashion (or lack thereof) and a good…

— Second Lady Usha Vance (@SLOTUS) June 24, 2026

Usha Vance was responding to a New York Times opinion piece titled “The Politics and Power of the Pregnancy Image,” written by fashion critic Vanessa Friedman. The article also discussed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Katie Miller, wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, both of whom recently gave birth.

Fox News reported that Friedman highlighted an Instagram Father’s Day Reel posted by Usha Vance, noting that she was “wearing a stretchy coral dress that hugs her stomach.”

Friedman said, “That three such prominent women in the MAGA movement were pregnant at pretty much the same time was, indubitably, a coincidence. But for an administration that has such an intuitive and strategic understanding of the power of aesthetics that an unspoken dress code in which men outfit themselves in the image of the president has developed, it has also become a telling one.”

She added, “Together, the women have created a notably consistent, and somewhat paradigm-shifting, picture of the White House’s family and fertility platform.”

According to Fox News, the column argued that after publicly announcing their pregnancies, the women “showcased their growing stomachs.” Friedman further wrote of Usha Vance, “As second lady, her job is also to represent and humanise the vice president. By spotlighting her pregnancy, she is doing exactly that.”

Usha Vance, who is expecting the couple’s fourth child while JD Vance serves as vice president in the Trump administration, used humour to dismiss the article’s interpretation of her maternity clothing, drawing attention instead to the discounted price of her dress. (ANI)