Vance, Catholic Convert, Hopes Wife Embraces Christianity

Vice President JD Vance said at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi that he hopes his wife, Usha—who was raised Hindu and often attends church with him—will someday be “moved” by the Christian gospel and embrace Christianity, while stressing that her faith has not caused conflict and that everyone has free will. Vance said both were nonreligious when they met and that he converted to Catholicism in 2019; the couple agreed to raise their three children in the Christian faith and their older children attend a Christian school. His remarks, widely broadcast, prompted social-media backlash and criticism—including from Indian- and Hindu-origin commentators—who accused him of downplaying Usha’s Hindu background and questioned portrayals that label her agnostic. Some reports note Usha has said she does not intend to convert, and the exchange has become a focal point in debates over religion, identity and public rhetoric.