JD Vance’s wife says he’s a closet MTG fan

The wife of Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, Usha Vance, called her husband out on Fox and Friends for liking the trading card game Magic: The Gathering—but it’s not a secret.

Games are a binding force in the universe that brings all walks of life together under a common goal: play and have fun. Politicians are quick to call out a name brand or side with a celebrity if it helps build their reputation, but it’s unusual to hear about the games they play, as games can still be generally perceived as nerdy or dorky. Ainsley Earhardt from Fox and Friends and Usha Vance reiterated this perception by saying Vance has “dorky interests.”

Those dorky interests include MTG, even though it doesn’t sound like he plays much anymore, while the kids are more into Pokémon.

“He’s going to kill me for saying this, it’s Magic: The Gathering, which was a card game. And some of the guys on set know about it,” said Usha.  “It’s similar to Pokémon that’s so popular now. And his boys are into Pokémon.”

Vance has mentioned playing MTG before in his Hillbilly Elegy memoir, where as a kid the now vice presidential candidate hid the game from his dad, fearing the perception that the cards had an evil influence on young Christians. Those perceptions are no longer hanging on Vance’s consciousness; however, it’s unlikely we’ll see a political main-stage debate over a game of Commander. But maybe that’s what the world needs now. 

Many of Vance’s views don’t line up with WotC or many MTG players. Instead of hate shouting on X (formerly Twitter), getting both sides to sit down and play a game of Magic: The Gathering might be the dorkiest thing everyone needs as we wait for the November elections to get here.