While Aikins initially suggested she could brush off the Democrat’s attacks, the subject of her grandchildren clearly changed the tone of the conversation.
El-Sayed had referred to Vance’s children as “brown kids” while arguing that the vice president would eventually have to explain his political positions to them. His comments also included a crude reference to Usha Vance and the couple’s marriage.
For Aikins, bringing the children into the dispute crossed a line.
“Those are my babies. I love those babies and would do anything for any of them,” she said. “And I love Usha as if she were my own daughter. She’s one of the best, most genuine people I’ve ever met. And she loves my son, and she’s a good mother.
“And I don’t pay attention to people like that.”
Aikins later acknowledged that the remarks did bother her, particularly because she believes El-Sayed has no personal understanding of the man he was attacking.
“I mean, it makes me mad, honestly, because he doesn’t know JD and he doesn’t know, you know, what type of person he is, and I do, but in the long run, I’m not going to do anything about it,” Vance Aikins said.
She then delivered an unusually blunt description of how she might react if she encountered El-Sayed in person.
“I mean, you know, I’d probably punch the guy if I ever seen him, and then that would get me in trouble — So, I’ll just go with the flow,” she added.
The controversy stems from comments El-Sayed made during an April appearance on “The Allen Analysis Show.” The Democratic candidate, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, took aim at Vance and his wife while discussing the vice president’s family and political views.
“What do you think is going through Usha’s head when [the vice president] talks? She’s like, ‘Damn, I have to sleep with him,’” El-Sayed said.
The remarks then shifted toward the Vances’ children and their racial background.
“I guess she’s pregnant so something is happening,” the former Detroit public health official continued. “Can you imagine, he’s got brown kids, at some point he’s going to have a really awkward conversation with his kids, like, you made your career hating people who are different.”
El-Sayed later intensified his criticism in a post of his own, writing that “JD Vance has brown kids who he thinks are less American than everyone else.”
That argument has become another flashpoint in the broader political battle surrounding Vance, particularly because his wife, Usha Vance, is Indian American and the couple has children of mixed racial heritage.
El-Sayed also brought Vance’s late grandfather into the dispute. In a post on X, he appeared to suggest that the vice president’s grandfather might have had an issue with Vance marrying Usha.
“So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…” El-Sayed posted on X.
The post followed remarks by Vance at an event in Ohio in which he referenced his grandfather while responding to El-Sayed’s position on criticism of Sharia law.
The clash comes as El-Sayed campaigns for the Democratic nomination and prepares for a high-profile Senate contest in Michigan. Republican Mike Rogers is also seeking the seat, making the race one of the closely watched political contests in the state.
For Aikins, however, the political stakes appear secondary when her family is involved.
Her defense of Usha was particularly emphatic. Rather than treating her daughter-in-law as simply the spouse of a prominent Republican politician, Aikins described her as someone she considers part of the family in her own right.
That personal defense adds another dimension to the controversy. Political candidates routinely attack opponents over their records, statements and policy positions. But El-Sayed’s comments went beyond JD Vance himself, bringing his wife, children and deceased grandfather into the argument.
Aikins’ response makes clear that she views that line differently.
The dispute also highlights how quickly political rhetoric can move from policy disagreements into deeply personal territory. Vance and El-Sayed represent sharply different political camps, and Michigan’s Senate race is likely to generate plenty of additional clashes before voters ultimately decide who will represent the state in Washington.
For now, though, Aikins has made her position unmistakable: whatever disagreements exist between El-Sayed and her son, she does not intend to sit quietly while her grandchildren and daughter-in-law become targets of the political battle.
And despite her joking reference to punching El-Sayed, Aikins ultimately indicated that she plans to leave the confrontation where it belongs — in the political arena.
