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By Jordan King
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Vice President JD Vance has said he hopes his wife, Usha Vance, a Hindu, will become a Christian one day.
"Now, most Sundays Usha will come with me to church," Vance said at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday.
He continued: "As I've told her, and I've said publicly, and I'll say now in front of 10,000 of my closest friends: Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? 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.
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"But if she doesn't, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn't cause a problem for me."
The event honored the activist Charlie Kirk, a co-founder of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA who was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. His widow, Erika Kirk, also attended Wednesday's event.
Why It Matters
Vance has been outspoken about the role faith plays in his personal life and public positions. As religion remains a significant topic in American politics, the vice president's remarks about his family's religious journey highlight broader conversations about interfaith marriages, cultural heritage, and the intersection of faith and family values.
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What To Know
Vance, who converted to Catholicism as an adult, said neither he nor his wife were particularly religious when they first met.
"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 said. "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."
The vice president said he and the second lady decided as a couple to raise their children as Christians. "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."
Vance said his wife attended church with him on Sundays, and he repeated his hope that she would one day become a Christian.
"Usha's closer to the priest who baptized me than maybe I am. They talk about this stuff," he added. "My attitude is, you figure this stuff out as a family, and you trust in God to have a plan."
Vance converted to Catholicism in August 2019, citing in interviews and essays the influence of family, personal reflection and philosophical readings during his time at Yale Law School as instrumental in his return to faith, the National Catholic Register reported.
Usha Vance, née Chilukuri, is an attorney who grew up in California with Indian immigrant parents.
She was raised in a Hindu household with a strong focus on education. The couple met at Yale Law School and married in 2014, celebrating with both Christian and Hindu ceremonies. Usha Vance has spoken publicly about the importance of faith in her upbringing and encouraged her husband to rediscover his Christian roots.
What People Are Saying
Vice President JD Vance said during the Turning Point USA event: "Everybody has to come to their own arrangement here. The way that we've come to our arrangement is, she's my best friend; we talk to each other about this stuff. … The only advice I can give is, you've just got to talk to the person that God has put you with, and you've got to make those decisions as a family unit. For us it works out."
Vance said on The Megyn Kelly Show podcast in 2020: "Usha definitely brings me back to earth a little bit, and 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. I'm one of those guys who really benefits from having, like, a sort of powerful female voice on his left shoulder saying: 'Don't do that, do do that'—it just is important."
What Happens Next
Public interest in Vance's family life will likely continue, especially as Americans wait to see whether the vice president will declare his candidacy for the 2028 election.
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