US president Donald Trump remarked that Usha Chilukuri Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, could have been his vice president, joking, "she is smarter, but the line of succession didn’t work that way."
Usha, 39, made history on Monday as the first Indian-American and Hindu to serve as Second Lady after her husband was sworn in as the 50th vice president of the United States.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Usha wore a pink coat, held the Bible in one hand, and their daughter Mirabel Rose in the other as JD Vance took the oath of office.
The daughter of Indian immigrants from Vadluru village in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district, Usha is also one of the youngest Second Ladies in US history, following Jane Hadley Barkley, who assumed the role at age 38 during Alben Barkley’s vice presidency.
After Trump was sworn in as the 47th president, he addressed supporters in an overflow room and praised his team, including JD Vance, for his successful re-election campaign.
"I watched JD over a period of time. I endorsed him in Ohio. He was a great senator and a very, very smart one," Trump said, adding, "The only one smarter is his wife." The comment was met with laughter in the room.
Turning to JD, Trump added, "I would have chosen her, but somehow the line of succession didn’t work that way."
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a mentor to Usha, administered the oath to JD Vance. Usha had clerked for Kavanaugh and chief justice John Roberts during her legal career.
Usha, raised in California by Indian immigrant parents, reflected on her background during the Republican National Convention in July.
"I grew up in San Diego, in a middle-class community with two loving parents, both immigrants from India, and a wonderful sister," she said, adding, "That JD and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country."
The couple, who met at Yale Law School and married in 2014, have three children: Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel. Usha’s Hindu roots have drawn attention since JD Vance became Trump’s running mate.
JD has credited Usha with helping him deepen his Christian faith and described her as "way more accomplished" during a 2020 interview.
Addressing the challenges of their interfaith marriage, Usha said, “There are a lot of things that we just agree on, I think, especially when it comes to family life, how to raise our kids. And so I think the answer really is, we just talk a lot.”
(With inputs from PTI)
