Washington, DC [US]: Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of JD Vance, whom Donald Trump declared as his running mate in the upcoming US presidential elections on Monday, brings a wealth of credentials and a deep connection to Indian values and culture.
A litigator at a national firm, Usha Vance is the daughter of Indian immigrants and has an impressive academic background. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University and a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge, according to the New York Times.
Born Usha Chilukuri, she has carved out a distinguished career in the legal field, having clerked for Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh before Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Court.
Raised in a suburb of San Diego, California, with a strong emphasis on education and hard work, Usha’s academic achievements include serving as Managing Editor of the Yale Journal of Law & Technology and Executive Development Editor of The Yale Law Journal, according to a biography from Munger, Tolles & Olson law firm.
After four years of intense extracurricular activity at Yale, she continued her studies as a Gates fellow at Cambridge, where she engaged with left-wing and liberal groups. She was a registered Democrat in 2014.
Usha and JD Vance first met at Yale Law School and were married in Kentucky in 2014, with a Hindu priest presiding over a separate ceremony, according to the New York Times. The couple has three children together.
Usha Vance has played a subtle yet significant role in her husband’s success. She assisted Vance in organizing his thoughts on the social decline in rural white America, which inspired his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, which was adapted into a film directed by Ron Howard in 2020.
In the past, she has made some rare appearances with Vance as he sought the Ohio Senate seat.
As the US presidential elections draw near, former US President Donald Trump made his pick for Vice President, selecting JD Vance as his running mate on Monday. Trump confirmed Vance’s candidature through a post on social media.
Speaking to media, a US-based global real estate investment advisor and a well-known entrepreneur, AI Mason said, “Usha Vance is a highly accomplished attorney and daughter of Indian immigrants — and her husband brings youth and diversity to the Trump ticket.”
“She knows the Indian culture and all about India. She can be a big help to her husband in navigating great ties between USA and India,” the entrepreneur, who is also a friend of the Trump family, said.
Meanwhile, in an interview earlier with Fox & Friends, Usha Chilukuri Vance and her Senator husband talked about the two having different faiths, and what are their views on the speculations of him becoming a pick for the Vice President of the US.
“I don’t think people understand how hard he works and how creative he is. Everything he says and does is built on a foundation of so much thought. He’s always trying to do better,” Usha Vance said.
On being asked about the reason behind her support for JD Vance, as the US Presidential elections remain around the corner, Usha told Fox, “There are a few different reasons…One is that I grew up in a religious household.
My parents are Hindu, and that was one of the things that made them such good parents, that makes them really very good people. And so I think I’ve seen that…the power of that in my own life, and I knew that JD was searching for something. This just felt right for him.”
The interview was taken three weeks before the announcement of JD Vance as the running mate of Trump in the upcoming US presidential polls.
Vance was born James David Bowman in Middletown, Ohio, to a mother who struggled with addiction and a father who left the family when JD was a toddler. He was raised by his grandparents.
The Trump campaign says the former president, following his brush with death, will call for unity in the face of tragedy instead of criticising his political adversaries as he faces off with President Biden in a 2024 election rematch.