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US Vice President JD Vance has ignited controversy after publicly expressing hope that his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, might one day convert to Christianity. His remarks, made during a recent public event, have triggered backlash across social media, particularly among Hindu communities, who view the comments as insensitive and patronising toward interfaith households. 

Responding to a question about religion within his family, Vance said his wife, who grew up in a Hindu household, often accompanies him to church. He admitted that he hopes she will eventually be “moved” by Christian teachings.

“Most Sundays, Usha comes with me to church,” Vance said. “Do I hope eventually she is moved by the same thing I was moved by? Yes. I honestly do wish that. I believe in the Christian gospel, and I hope eventually, my wife comes to see it the same way.”

However, he followed by saying he respects her autonomy. “If she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.” Vance also described Usha’s upbringing as “not particularly religious,” noting that both of them were effectively agnostic when they first met.

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Raising Children Christian

The couple has three children, Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel, who attend a Catholic school. Vance confirmed that they have decided to raise their children Christian, despite differing beliefs at home. Families, he said, “need to come to their arrangement.”

Reacting to JD Vance’s remarks, several users on X expressed discomfort over the implication behind his comments. One user questioned, “Is he saying that his wife will likely be opposed to that idea?”, pointing toward the sensitive nature of personal faith within interreligious marriages.

Another user drew parallels, noting, “Zohran Mamdani keeps talking of his proud Muslim faith. Yet his mother is a Hindu.” They argued that in both cases, subtle and overt pressure often falls on the Hindu partner to assimilate religiously.

The comment resurfaced just months after Usha spoke about their interfaith dynamic on Meghan McCain’s podcast Citizen McCain. She revealed that their children have been given agency:

“They can choose whether they want to be baptised Catholic and then go through the whole step-by-step process.” She added that when she met JD at Yale University, he was not yet Catholic, converting only after they became parents, something that sparked deep conversations between them.

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Despite their children’s Catholic education, Usha Vance maintains close ties to Hindu traditions through her family, especially her grandmother., “My grandmother is a devout Hindu… We spend a lot of time with her,” she said.

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