Vice President JD Vance has resoundingly dismissed any rumors of marital troubles with his wife, Usha. Rumors began of possible marital trouble when Turning Point USA CEO, Erika Kirk, introduced the Vice President during a Turning Point USA event. Images of Kirk hugging the Vice President in what some viewed as an intimate embrace sent internet tongues wagging with speculation of an illicit affair. When Usha Vance was seen later without her wedding ring while attending an event at Camp Lejeune, a military training facility, with First Lady Melania Trump, it further sparked rumors of marital mayhem.

Speaking to NBC News, the Vice President brushed off rumors of any discord in their relationship. “I think that we kind of get a kick out of it,” he said when asked about online speculation on the couple’s marriage. “With anything in life, you take the good with the bad. You accept that there are some sacrifices and there are some very good things that come along with it, too,” he added. “But our marriage is as strong as it’s ever been, and I think Usha’s really taken to it, and it’s been kind of cool to see how she’s developed and evolved in this new role.” Regarding the incident when she was seen without her wedding ring, People received a statement that described Usha Vance as “a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.” The couple married in 2014 and have three children: Ewan, 8, and Vivek, 5, and daughter Mirabel who turns 4 sometime in December.

Vice President Vance characterized the speculations as “funny.” “I actually don’t think that it’s tough,” he said. He shared a story when Usha Vance was leaving to attend another event with Melania Trump and realized she’d left off her rings. “She was like, ‘Oh, if I don’t go back and get them, there’s going to be some ridiculous psycho who talks about it on social media.’ And I was like, let them. It’s not even worth the trip to run back upstairs,” he said. “So, we actually have a little bit of fun with it. And we thought that whole viral social media cycle was kind of funny.”

The couple do have an interfaith marriage, with Usha having been raised Hindu and the Vice President having converted to Catholicism later in life. Their children are being raised Catholic, with Vance sharing on X that he hopes Usha may one day convert. “She is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, but like many people in an interfaith marriage–or any interfaith relationship–I hope she may one day see things as I do.” Erika Kirk had also previously dismissed speculation of anything illicit with the Vice President during an appearance on “Megyn Kelly Live.” “Whoever is hating on a hug needs a hug themselves—I will give you a free hug any time you want a hug. My love language is touch, if you will.”