America's president and first lady also treat this lady with high respect
Since the beginning of 2025, for the first time in US history, a woman of Indian origin and adhering to Hinduism has acquired the status of Second Lady in the world's superpower. We are talking about Usha Vance, the wife of US Vice President James David Vance.
The Modern.az website presents an article about America's almost-elected Second Lady.
40-year-old James David Vance has been serving as the Vice President of the United States since January 2025 and holds this high post in Donald Trump's second administration. He is considered one of the young politicians who can rise very rapidly on the country's political scene.
J.D. Vance was born on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio. His childhood was difficult – his parents' separation, financial difficulties, and personal struggles shaped his life. J.D. Vance was raised by his maternal grandmother and grandfather.
To find a way out of these difficulties, he joined the US Marine Corps upon graduating from high school in 2003. Here, he earned a salary of $1000 per month. He served 6 months (2005) of his four-year military service as a military correspondent in Iraq.
James Vance graduated from Ohio University in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science. In 2013, he graduated from Yale University Law School and received a Juris Doctor degree.
Vance's autobiographical memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” published in 2016, led to his widespread recognition in America. In this book, he realistically and emotionally described the lives of the working class living in the central part of the US. The book was later adapted into films and watched by millions of viewers.
James Vance worked for various companies until 2021. In July of that year, as a member of the Republican Party, he announced his candidacy for the US Senate from Ohio. His candidacy was supported by Donald Trump himself, and the main sponsor of the election campaign was investor Peter Thiel, the head of the company where Vance previously worked. Thiel allocated $10 million for these purposes, and as a result, J.D. Vance was elected senator.
After Donald Trump won the US presidential elections, James David Vance became the country's vice president.
James David Vance met his future wife, Usha Chilukuri, a fellow student, in 2013 while studying at Yale University Law School.
Usha Chilukuri was born on January 6, 1986, in San Diego, USA, to Indian immigrants Krishna and Lakshmi Chilukuri. Her parents came to the US from India in the 1980s.
Usha Chilukuri comes from a family of professors. Her father is a mechanical engineer, and her mother is a molecular biologist, both professors working at US universities.
The future vice president met his wife in 2013 at Yale University in a group discussing America's socio-economic decline. By that time, Usha Chilukuri had already earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history.
James David Vance confessed in his autobiography, "Hillbilly Elegy," that he quickly fell in love with his partner: "In a space that always felt a little foreign, Usha's presence made me feel at home," he wrote in his book. In an interview, he described Usha as his "spiritual teacher."
They graduated from law school in 2013 and married in 2014. The wedding took place in two religious traditions – Hindu and Christian (J.D. Vance, who grew up in a Protestant family, converted to Catholicism in 2019).
In August 2014, they bought a house east of the Capitol for $590,000 and moved there. At that time, the couple took out a loan of just over $600,000. In 2018, the Vance family bought a new house in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood for $1.4 million. The house has an area of 4500 square feet and five bedrooms.
The blend of different cultures in the Vance family is also reflected in their diet: Usha Vance (Chilukuri) is a vegetarian, and at the 2024 Republican National Convention, she openly stated that her husband has also adapted to her eating habits and that James even learned to cook Indian dishes from his mother-in-law.
They have three children – sons Evan and Vivek, and daughter Mirabel.
After graduating from law school, Usha Vance initially worked as a judicial assistant. She then worked for six years at the law firms of “Munger,” “Tolles and Olson,” focusing on civil litigation. She resigned in July 2024 when James David Vance became a candidate for vice president.
During the election campaign, Usha Vance was constantly by her husband's side, speaking at public events and supporting him with her advice. For example, she helped her husband prepare for a debate with Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz. Interestingly, Usha Vance has not always been a Republican – she voted in the Democratic primary in 2014 and registered as an independent supporter in 2017.
Today, most comments about Usha Vance are literally filled with admiration. Of course, her husband's statements stand out first and foremost. James David Vance has consistently expressed high regard for his wife. In his book "Hillbilly Elegy," he called Usha "the super-smart daughter of Indian immigrants." In a 2020 podcast with journalist Megyn Kelly, he boasted about the fortune of having a wife who always advises him. James David Vance said: "I am truly one of the lucky men to have a strong female voice on my left shoulder saying, 'Don't do this, do that!'"
Maye Musk, mother of famous US billionaire Elon Musk, also speaks admiringly about Second Lady Usha Vance. On the X social media platform, she expressed her incomprehension as to why no one was talking about the first woman of Indian origin and Hindu faith becoming the Second Lady of the US. Maye Musk wrote: "I am personally a witness that she is a very kind, intelligent, and charming woman."
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump also hold Usha Vance in high regard. At the inauguration ceremony in January 2025, Trump said while speaking about James Vance: "The only person smarter than James is his wife. I could have chosen her (Usha Vance) as vice president, but the line of succession worked differently.”
It should also be noted that US Vice President J.D. Vance has repeatedly had to defend his wife from racist attacks.
America's extreme right and left cannot stomach the fact that a woman of Indian origin is the Second Lady of this country.
Even when J.D. Vance was announced as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, right-wingers hurled taunts at him regarding his wife's ethnicity:
"Who is this guy? Do we really expect a man with an Indian wife to support white identity?"
In response, Vance told the racists: "Listen, I love my wife very much. I love her for who she is. Of course, she is not white, but why should she be subjected to attacks and accusations from white supremacists because of that?”
The Vance family currently lives in the official residence in the capital, Washington, and frequently appears together at public events. Usha Vance draws attention with her views on family and legal matters and often expresses open opinions on the role of women in society. Despite her limited media appearances, she is regarded as a Second Lady who plays a strategic and advisory role.
The areas Usha Vance particularly focuses on are: Education and family values; integration of immigrant families into society; legal literacy for women.
Her Indian origin creates multicultural symbolism in US society, and this has become a source of inspiration, especially for young women.
A. Gafarli
