The US vice president has defended his wife’s mother over reports of her support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
US Vice President J.D. Vance has rejected media scrutiny over his mother-in-law’s reported support for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which differs from the current administration’s position on the matter.
Vance was responding to a CBS News report published on Wednesday, which focused on Lakshmi Chilukuri, the mother of second lady Usha Vance and provost of the University of California San Diego’s Sixth College.
In the report, the outlet’s investigative journalists wrote that while Vance has been vocal about combatting DEI, Chilukuri has publicly supported her school’s diversity efforts.
CBS cited a letter from Chilukuri to incoming students on the college’s website, emphasizing “steadfast adherence to principles that drive equity, inclusion, and an embrace of diversity.” The letter remains publicly accessible online.
The outlet also wrote that a broader push by US President Donald Trump and Vance against what they call ‘wokeness’ has led to rollbacks of DEI programs across the federal government.
In a statement to CBS, Vance acknowledged his opposition to DEI, saying he was “proud of what our administration has done on that front.”
“But I love my mother-in-law,” Vance wrote. “If she doesn’t share my views on DEI, I suppose I’ll have to do what 99% of Americans do when confronted with a family member who doesn’t always agree with them: get over it.”
He further praised Chilukuri’s “kindness” and called her an “incredible mother and loving grandmother to the most important people in my life.”
Vance accused CBS of unfairly targeting her, saying the report existed because the network decided that “harassing” his mother-in-law is a “reasonable price to attack President Trump.”
The fight against “woke policies,” including the availability of so-called gender reassignment treatment to minors, was a key part of Trump’s campaign. After taking office, he signed multiple executive orders rolling back DEI initiatives in federal agencies and among government contractors, arguing that such programs promote discrimination.
Vance has also long opposed the initiatives, calling professors “the enemy” in a 2021 speech and urging Americans to “aggressively attack” universities over their DEI focus.
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