J.D. Vance Agreed That the ‘Whole Purpose of the Postmenopausal Female’ Is to Help Raise Grandkids

Mar. 15, 2025

JD Vance.Photo:Anna Moneymaker/Getty

Anna Moneymaker/Getty

Inan episodeofThe Portalpodcast released in April 2020, Vance — who was recentlyselected as former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate— spoke about howhis wife, Usha Vance’s mother came to live with their family after one of his children was born.

Host Eric Weinstein, managing director of the venture capital firm Thiel Capital, asked Vance about the experience sharing a roof with his mother-in-law.

“That’s the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female in theory,” Weinstein interjects, as Vance says, “Yes.”

“Of course he does not agree with what the host said,” Van Kirk told PEOPLE. “J.D. reacted to the first part of the host’s sentence, assuming he was going to say: ‘That’s the whole purpose of spending time with grandparents.’ "

J.D. Vance.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

After Vance listened to Weinstein’s “postmenopausal female” comment, the podcast host then made a racially charged comment, calling the grandmother’s presence in a home a “weird, unadvertised feature of marrying an Indian woman.”

Without acknowledging the jab, Vance continued to call the experience “in some ways, the most transgressive thing I’ve ever done against, sort of, the hyper-neoliberal approach to work and family.”

He explained that his mother-in-law took a sabbatical from her job as a biology professor to help care for their child. Vance said the decision did not make sense economically, asking, “Why didn’t she just keep her job [and] give us part of the wages to pay somebody else to do it?”

As Vance’s spokesperson points out, the senator did still express gratitude for his mother-in-law’s help during the exchange.

Postmenopause occurs when people with menstrual periods haven’t experienced a cycle in 12 consecutive months. It signifies that the person is no longer in the reproductive stage of their life.Cleveland Clinicsays that people, on average, reach postmenopause around the age of 52.

Usha and J.D. Vance at the Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024.Anna Moneymaker/Getty

The Ohio senatorshares three children with his wife: Ewan, 6; Vivek, 4; and Mirabel, 2.

source: people.com