Ahhh, the ceremonial passing of the keys to the vice president’s mansion — one of those quiet, behind-the-scenes moments that’s more about tradition than politics… “until it isn’t.”
JD Vance, now settling into his role as Vice President, opened up about what should have been a small, heartwarming moment for his family: a walk-through of their future home. But instead of a friendly handoff, he got radio silence from Kamala Harris and her team. No visit. No warm welcome. No grand tour for his wife Usha or their kids.
And here’s the kicker: it wasn’t some last-minute request. Vance and his staff knew things could be a little, shall we say, politically “frosty”, so they approached the idea delicately. Still — they got a flat-out no. No reason given. No compromise offered. Just… a door that stayed closed.
Now sure, Harris later said she and Doug Emhoff were busy — wildfires in California, a scrapped international trip — totally fair. But when you zoom out, it’s hard to ignore the fact that former vice presidents — from Cheney to Biden — made time for this tradition, even during transition chaos. The Bidens hosted the Pences. The Pences? Well, that baton pass got complicated thanks to the post-2020 circus and COVID, so they get a partial pass.
But this time? There were no riots, no pandemics, no emergency pressers. Just a polite ask to let some little kids peek at their soon-to-be bedrooms. And it didn’t happen.
Call it what you want — a missed opportunity, an awkward moment, or just a cold shoulder. But for some observers, it landed as plain old petty.
Social media didn’t miss a beat either. One user called it “very telling.” Another said, “Thank goodness we dodged that bullet.” Yikes. Still, Vance played it cool, describing the note Harris left as “boilerplate but polite.” No punches thrown.
Despite the rough start, the Vance family has clearly embraced the space. Kids have desks. There’s a golf simulator. Usha still does the grocery shopping. And JD’s in the kitchen flipping pancakes like it’s just another Saturday morning.
Cameras or not, he’s working to keep things as “normal” as possible for his family — and that part of the story? That might be the real win here.
In the end, the traditions may have stumbled, but the new residents? They’re making it work — awkward handoff and all.
