US Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha allegedly began renting houses on Wolver Hill Farm, an estate of almost 500 acres (2 sq. km) in the Washington suburb of Middleburg. Residents of a settlement near the capital of the country fear that the presence of a second person in the state will disrupt peace due to security measures, writes The Washington Post (WP).
Vance's official residence is Observatory One, a building located on the grounds of the Naval Observatory in Washington. On Sunday, July 19, 41-year-old Vance and his wife announced that there was an addition to their family – Usha Vance gave birth to a boy, Alec Neil. The couple now have four children.
Middleburg, which is located in rural Virginia and an hour west of Washington, has a population of 750 people. Despite the fact that the White House has not officially confirmed reports of the Vances’ move, rumors among local residents are growing, and they are confirmed by the publication’s interlocutors.
“A source familiar with the situation, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed that the vice president rents two of the four houses on the farm and said that Secret Service security would be stationed along the road leading to the farm,” WP notes.
Vladimir Maldonado, a waiter at a local Mexican restaurant, told the newspaper that a customer reported a convoy of 50 black SUVs in the area that she believed were taking the Vances into town. Middleburg mayor Trowbridge Littleton also admitted seeing black cars, but could not confirm the couple's move.
At the same time, the mayor believes that residents and police will get used to the presence of the Vances and will not allow disruption to their usual way of life. Italian restaurant owner Christian Puccio calls Vance's potential presence an opportunity for the city, and Dennis Pyles, a local computer repairman, echoes similar sentiments.
The majority of city residents voted for Democrat Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election, rather than Donald Trump and Vance, WP notes. In this regard, a number of the publication’s interlocutors added that they consider the vice president “disgusting” and the policies of the Republican administration “terrible.” The manager of a local gift shop, Kenna Day, is confident that the Vances' move will disrupt the “prevailing calm.”
The owner of a leather goods repair shop, Punkin Lee, drew parallels between the Vances' moves and the vacation in the city of Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of the 35th President of the United States. She, in her words, came to the workshop and “waited for her turn.” Vance's family, she claims, is “an entirely different matter.”
At least four presidents have owned or visited the city, including Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, The Washington Post notes. In April, Britain's Queen Camilla visited a local horse farm as part of King Charles III's trip to the United States.
Also, actress Elizabeth Taylor and Republican Senator John Warner lived in Middleburg before their divorce. Actor Robert Duvall, known for the films “The Godfather,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Apocalypse Now,” also lived on a farm in the area for several decades. He died earlier this year, as reported by RTVI.
