Ohio Senator and Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance has revealed he feels bad about bringing his wife, Usha Vance, to church every week, saying that “she didn’t sign up for this.” Vance said that Usha was raised in a Hindu household, has not converted to Catholicism despite attending Mass regularly.
In an interview with the New York Times, Vance, admitted to feeling uncomfortable about how his religious journey has affected his wife.“I feel — felt — kind of bad,” he explained. “Like, ‘Oh, you didn’t sign up to marry a weekly churchgoer, and are you OK with this?’ And she was sort of more than OK with it, and that was a big part of the confirmation that this was the right thing for me.”
Vance revealed that Usha encouraged him to explore Catholicism even though she did not follow the faith herself. “She thought that they were good for me, in a sort of good-for-your-soul kind of way,” he said. “I don’t think I would have ever done it without her support, because I felt kind of bad about it, right?”
Reflecting on his spiritual growth, Vance shared his deeper motivations. “When I started to think about the big things, like, what do I actually care about in my life? I really want to be a good husband. I really want to be a good father. I really want to be a good member of the community. I wanted to be a virtuous human being, in other words.”
Despite Usha’s support, Vance acknowledged the pressures she faces. “I feel terrible for my wife because we go to church almost every Sunday, unless we’re on the road,” he said. He explained that although he helps with their children, Usha tends to feel the burden of keeping them quiet during the service. “Obviously, I help with the kids, but because I’m kind of the one going to church, she feels more responsibility to keep the kids quiet in the church.”
Usha and JD Vance met at Yale Law School and married in Kentucky in 2014, with a Hindu priest presiding over a separate ceremony. They have three children. Usha has been pivotal in JD’s political career, helping him shape his thoughts on rural America’s social decline, which inspired his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. The book was adapted into a 2020 film by Ron Howard.