JD Vance praises Usha Vance's budgeting skills after $8 dress debate

Vice President JD Vance is weighing in on Usha Vance's now-viral $8.75 Old Navy maternity dress that has delivered a lot of online discussion. The vice president and second lady are expecting her fourth child, a boy due in July.

"She bought a $50 dress for $8.75," Vance wrote in a June 25 post on X in response to his wife's post which had the receipt attached. "America: meet your next director of the federal budget!"

Usha Vance's fitted coral maternity dress became a national debate after New York Times chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman in an article titled "The Politics and Power of the Pregnancy Image," wrote that the pregnant bellies of MAGA women, including Vance, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller's wife, Katie Miller, have taken center stage.

"Indeed, ever since Vance, Leavitt and Miller revealed their pregnancies, their public appearances have showcased their growing stomachs," Friedman wrote. "Together, the women have created a notably consistent, and somewhat paradigm-shifting, picture of the White House’s family and fertility platform."

Friedman added Vance's job as second lady "is also to represent and humanize the vice president," and "By spotlighting her pregnancy, she is doing exactly that."

Usha Vance had worn the dress in a Father's Day special episode of "Storytime with the Second Lady," released June 21, in which JD Vance had read stories from "Winnie the Pooh."

Usha Vance responds to article, drops receipt

Vance had fired back at the Times, saying she did not realize her $8.75 coral maternity dress held so much "political significance."

"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!" Vance wrote in a June 24 post on X.

"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.

She followed up with another post sharing the receipt of her dress purchase. The outfit, which originally retailed for $44.99, was marked down to $12.49 while an additional coupon brought down the dress' price to $8.75. The dress is no longer available on Old Navy's website and appears to have been sold out.

New York Times spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander, in an email to USA TODAY June 25, said: "We're glad the Second Lady had a chance to read The Times's reporting on fashion and pregnancy, which presented a fair and illuminating analysis of women in the Trump administration and their ownership of motherhood and image."

Usha Vance attends World Cup match

Meanwhile, just a day after the matter erupted on social media, Usha Vance was spotted on Thursday, June 25, at the World Cup football match between Turkey and the U.S. at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood. The second lady wore a blue and white dress for the match, which she attended with her son Ewan Vance.

The U.S. men's national team lost 3-2. However, the result was academic with the USMNT already advancing as group winner before the match and Turkey already eliminated.

Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.