President Donald Trump was criticized after he took to social media to share a photo of Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance's new baby boy Alec to congratulate them before the Vances could even do so themselves.
The Vance family welcomed their fourth child, Alec Neel Vance, who joins older siblings Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and Mirabel, 4. Trump later shared a photo showing Vivek holding his newborn brother while Mirabel looks on.
Vance and the Second Lady announced Alec's birth in a post on X on Sunday, though they did not include a photo at the time. Alec is the first child born to a sitting U.S. vice president since the 1870s.
But Trump beat them to the punch, taking to Truth Social to write:
"Congratulations! A perfect baby boy for the wonderful Vance family."
You can see Trump's post below.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
People weren't surprised that Trump decided to hog the spotlight.
Vance told NBC News in May that he does not plan to take formal paternity leave, saying the demands of serving as vice president make it "impossible to completely disconnect" from the job.
Instead, he said he expects to spend more time at home while also bringing his children to the White House more often, explaining that he'll "just make it work." Vance also said the Second Lady plans to step away from public life for an extended period after the birth of their child.
The vice president has been one of the Trump administration's strongest advocates for increasing U.S. birth rates. In his recently-published book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, Vance wrote that his wife had initially been hesitant about having another child but reconsidered after the death of his friend, conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah college campus event last September.
Reflecting on the experience, Vance wrote that "not long after we buried my friend," the Second Lady became pregnant with their fourth child, adding, "One life was stolen from us, but another was given."
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