IN JULY, Usha Chilukuri Vance, an Indian-American lawyer, gained national attention after her husband, JD Vance, was named as the vice-presidential pick for Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Following Trump and Vance's victory on Wednesday, Usha, 38, is set to become the first Indian-American Second Lady of the United States. She stood by her husband, the 39-year-old Ohio Senator, as Trump delivered his acceptance speech after securing enough votes to re-enter the White House.
In a 2020 interview on The Megyn Kelly Show, Vance said of Usha, “If I maybe get a little bit too cocky or a little too proud, I just remind myself that she is way more accomplished than I am. People don't realise just how brilliant she is."
Usha, the daughter of Indian immigrants from Vadluru village in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district, grew up in a San Diego suburb. Described by friends as a bright student, Usha went on to study at Cambridge and Yale, becoming a Gates Scholar. She later clerked for Supreme Court judges and worked as a civil litigation attorney at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.
The couple met at Yale Law School and married in 2014 in Kentucky, with a separate Hindu blessing ceremony. They have three children: sons Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter, Mirabel.
Since Vance’s selection as Trump’s running mate, Usha’s Hindu background has attracted attention. Vance has shared that although his wife is not Christian, she has been “very supportive” of his religious journey.
Reflecting on their interfaith marriage, Usha commented, “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.”
In a joint interview in June, Usha mentioned feeling “reluctant to gain greater public exposure” but added that they are open to “see what happens with our life.”
At Trump’s acceptance speech in Palm Beach, Florida, he pointed to the couple and said, “I want to be the first one to congratulate, now I can say vice president-elect JD Vance. And his remarkable and beautiful wife, Usha Vance.”
(With inputs from PTI)
