Photo credit: www.vogue.com
Interestingly, Usha and J.D. Vance’s introduction came through Amy Chua, the prominent author of the 2011 book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Both Usha and J.D. were students of Chua at Yale Law School. Chua has described them as an “extremely unlikely” couple, noting their contrasting personalities. J.D. has referred to Usha as his “Yale spirit guide”, reflecting her support in helping him navigate the challenges of their prestigious university. Their unique relationship was even highlighted in J.D.’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, and subsequently portrayed by Freida Pinto in the 2020 film adaptation by Ron Howard. The couple tied the knot in an interfaith ceremony in Kentucky in 2014.
Usha recounted her early relationship with J.D. during her speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention, sharing insights into their connection: “I met J.D. in law school when he was fresh out of Ohio State, which he attended with the support of the GI Bill. We were friends first because, I mean, who wouldn’t want to be friends with J.D.? He was then, as now, the most interesting person I knew— a working-class guy who had triumphed over childhood adversities to reach Yale Law School, a tough marine with experience in Iraq, yet someone whose favorite pastimes included playing with puppies and watching the movie Babe. He was incredibly determined with a singular ambition: to become a husband and father and to create the loving, close-knit family he had always wished for as a child.”
She continued, discussing their bond: “When J.D. met me, he approached our differences with curiosity and enthusiasm. He wanted to know everything about me, my background, and my experiences. Despite being a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, he embraced my vegetarian lifestyle, even learning to cook traditional Indian dishes from my mother. Before I knew it, he had become an essential part of my family—someone I could not imagine living without.”
Though Usha registered as a Democrat in 2014, she made the choice to vote in the Republican primary in 2022 to support J.D. in his Senate campaign.
What has Usha Vance’s career trajectory been?
J.D. and Usha Vance were seen together at a rally at Hardinger, a trucking company located in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
Source
www.vogue.com