Vice President JD Vance recently opened up about a deeply personal aspect of his marriage, discussing the religious differences between him and his wife, Usha. In a heartfelt confession, he expressed his hope for Usha to embrace Christianity, despite her Hindu background and non-religious upbringing. Speaking to a crowd at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi, Vance shared that while he is a committed Catholic, Usha did not grow up in a particularly religious environment.
Vance explained to the audience, saying, “Yes, my wife did not grow up Christian. I think it’s fair to say that she grew up in a Hindu family but not a particularly religious family in either direction.” He went on to express his desire for Usha to consider Christianity, marking the first time he has publicly voiced this wish. “As I’ve told her, and I’ve said publicly, and I’ll say now in front of 10,000 of my closest friends,” Vance continued, “Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church?”
He further elaborated on his hopes, stating, “Yeah, I honestly do wish that because I believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.” However, he acknowledged the importance of personal choice in faith, adding, “But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.” Vance’s journey to Catholicism began in 2019, a few years before embarking on his political path. Interestingly, he identified as an agnostic atheist at the time he first met Usha.
‘In fact, when I met my wife…I would consider myself an agnostic or an atheist, and that’s what I think she would have considered herself as well.’ Vance revealed that his 8-year-old son has already received his first Communion last year. ‘Our two oldest kids … go to a Christian school. Our 8-year-old did his first Communion about a year ago. That’s the way that we have come to our arrangement.’ According to Vance, Usha has a close relationship with the priest who baptized the vice president.
‘Usha’s closer to the priest who baptized me than maybe I am. They talk about this stuff,’ he concluded. ‘My attitude is, you figure this stuff out as a family, and you trust in God to have a plan.’ The couple met while they were both attending Yale Law School and married in 2014 in dual Christian and Hindu ceremonies. Usha has publicly stated that she encouraged her husband to reconnect with his Christian roots during their marriage.
Vance was at the University of Mississippi to support his late friend Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point organization. The vice president and his wife Usha flew to Utah to meet Charlie’s wife Erika Kirk following the assassination on September 10. They flew his coffin on Air Force Two back to his home in Arizona. Vance and Usha both attended the arena funeral days later at the State Farm Arena in Phoenix, attended by more than 90,000 people.
