JD Vance's Comments About Hindu Wife Usha Spark Debate on Religious Freedom in Interfaith Marriage

Usha and JD Vance married in Kentucky in 2014, establishing an interfaith household that recently became the subject of public discussion.

US Vice President JD Vance recently expressed hope that his Hindu wife Usha would someday embrace Christianity. During a Turning Point movement rally in Oxford, Mississippi, Vance responded to an Indian-American attendee's question about their interfaith marriage dynamics.

"I honestly do wish that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by Church," Vance stated, while adding that "if she doesn't, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn't cause a problem for me."

His comments sparked significant criticism online, with many highlighting Usha's previous statements indicating she has no intention of converting from Hinduism.

Responding to the backlash on social media platform X, Vance defended his remarks, writing that his wife "is not a Christian and has no plans to convert," while explaining that like many in interfaith marriages, he simply hopes "she may one day see things as I do."

Usha Vance previously addressed their interfaith household on Meghan McCain's "Citizen McCain" podcast, explaining their approach to raising their three children - Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel. The couple sends their children to Catholic school while giving them individual choices regarding religious participation.

"When you convert to Catholicism, it comes with several important obligations, like raising your child in the faith," Usha explained. "We had to have a lot of real conversations about how do you do that, when I'm not Catholic, and I'm not intending to convert."

She also mentioned that their children have "plenty of access to the Hindu tradition" through books and family experiences, including a visit to India in April.

During an NDTV interview during that India trip, Usha described her children's fascination with Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. She also reflected on her 2014 wedding to JD Vance, noting the importance of including traditional Hindu rites to honor her parents and ancestors from Andhra Pradesh.

In his 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy," JD Vance credited Usha with helping him convert to Catholicism, though he wasn't baptized into the church until 2019.

JD Vance's recent characterization of Usha as possibly "agnostic or atheist" when they met at Yale University drew criticism from commentators like Deep Barot, who pointed out that Usha has repeatedly acknowledged being raised in the Hindu tradition. Kanwal Sibal, former Foreign Secretary of India, questioned Vance's reluctance to acknowledge his wife's Hindu origins.

In previous interviews, Usha mentioned her grandmother was a devout Hindu who prayed daily and regularly visited temples. She also told Fox News in June 2024 that she believes her parents' Hindu faith contributed to making them "such good parents."

Vance's remarks come in the context of his close relationship with the late Charlie Kirk, founder of the Turning Point movement and a conservative Christian activist who was assassinated last month. Kirk, who had built substantial support for conservative causes including Christianity, had advocated for Vance to be Donald Trump's vice presidential choice.