Observers believe United States presidential candidate Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, who has been a senator only since January 2023, is likely to face questions over both his lack of political experience and his transition from 2016 Trump critic to heir to the Make America Great Again movement.
If his 2022 Senate campaign is any indication, his wife Usha Chilukuri may play an understated but key role in helping introduce him to the public.
Ms Usha comes with a wealth of credentials and a deep connection to Indian values and culture.
A litigator at a US firm, she is the daughter of Indian immigrants who have roots in Andhra Pradesh. The 38-year-old grew up in a suburb of San Diego.
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. After college, she assisted two Supreme Court justices.
In 2015, she started as an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson, a law firm with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC. She continued working at the firm between clerkships, where – according to her employee biography – she handled “complex civil litigation and appeals” in sectors that included “higher education, local government, entertainment and technology, including semiconductors”.
The firm announced on Monday that she had resigned.
Speaking to Newsmax during a 2022 interview about her husband, Ms Usha said: “Sometimes people say that he’s changed a lot, but the truth is I’ve known him now for so many years, and he’s always been so true to himself.”
For years, Mr Vance, 38, has described his wife as a key part of his success, dating back to when the two attended law school together at Yale. In his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, Mr Vance described her as his “Yale spirit guide,” helping him navigate life at the elite university where they met.
The pair married in an interfaith ceremony in Kentucky in 2014 – Ms Usha’s family is Hindu, while her husband converted to Catholicism in 2019. They have three children together: sons Ewan, 6, and Vivek, 4, and daughter Mirabel, 2.
In an interview earlier with Fox & Friends, Ms Usha and Mr Vance talked about the two having different faiths and their views on him becoming a pick for vice-president.
“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,” said Ms Usha.
On being asked about the reason behind her support for Mr Vance, she said: “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. 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 done three weeks before the announcement of Mr Vance as Mr Trump’s running mate.
The Ohio Senator has consistently acknowledged his wife’s role in supporting his career.
“I’m one of those guys who really benefits from having sort of a powerful female voice over his left shoulder saying, ‘Don’t do that, do that,’” he said during his 2020 appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show. “Usha definitely brings me back to earth. If I get a little too cocky or a little too proud, I just remind myself that she’s way more accomplished than I.”
Well-known entrepreneur and a friend of the Trump family AI Mason told ANI: “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.”
