Vance Confesses: 'I Was a Lousy Boyfriend' to Usha, Tended to 'Overreact' During Conflicts

“I was a lousy boyfriend,” JD Vance spills the tea in his forthcoming memoir, “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.” The vice president doesn’t hold back, admitting he often “overreacted” during minor spats with his now-wife, Usha.

Set to drop on June 16, Vance’s latest literary endeavor dives deep into his spiritual journey and the early days of his romance with Usha as they gear up for baby number four. This isn’t his first rodeo; his previous memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” laid bare the gritty details of his tumultuous upbringing, which inspired a film featuring heavyweights like Glenn Close and Amy Adams.

In a candid excerpt, Vance reflects, “In hindsight, it’s a wonder I didn’t ruin it. I didn’t just come on too strong; I was a lousy boyfriend in many ways. My traumatic childhood had made me resentful and left me with awful conflict management skills. I would overreact or withdraw – fight or flight! – over minor transgressions. If Usha was my soulmate at Yale, I didn’t deserve her. But still she stuck around.”

“Communion” also chronicles Vance’s conversion to Catholicism after a stint as an atheist, all while navigating the complexities of love. “A critical part of that journey was falling in love with a girl who would eventually become a mother four times over,” he told USA TODAY.

As he gears up for Mother’s Day, Vance shares heartfelt wishes: “All moms − all families − have their own stories, with a mix of ups and downs. To all the moms reading this, I hope your stories have included more good days than bad.”

Vance and Usha’s love story began in law school, but their first summer together was marked by distance—he was in Washington, DC, and later New Haven, while she worked in New York. Despite the physical separation, Vance was consumed by thoughts of her.

He recalls feeling like no man in history had ever loved so deeply, yet he tried to temper those emotions to avoid coming on too strong. The distance only intensified their connection.

Usha, who previously registered as a Democrat until at least 2014, has navigated the right-wing political landscape with grace. When asked about fitting into her husband’s political world, she reassured that she’s never felt pressured to conform to any ideology or policy ideas.