U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said he hopes his wife, Usha Vance, who was raised in the Hindu faith, will one day be “moved” to embrace Christianity — though he emphasized that their differing beliefs have never caused conflict in their marriage.
Speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Mississippi on Wednesday, Vance discussed faith, family, and his wife’s upbringing while responding to an audience question about whether Usha might “come to Christ.”
“Most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church,” Vance said. “As I’ve told her, and as I’ve said publicly, do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by in church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that, because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.”
However, the Republican leader made it clear that her spiritual background is not a source of tension. “But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me. That’s something you work out with your friends, your family, and the person you love,” he said.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, met Usha — a lawyer of Indian heritage — when he identified as an agnostic. The couple’s children are being raised in the Christian faith and attend a Christian school.
Making faith a centerpiece of his remarks, Vance said, “I make no apologies for thinking that Christian values are an important foundation of this country. Anybody who’s telling you their view is neutral likely has an agenda to sell you. And I’m at least honest about believing the Christian foundation of this country is a good thing.”
His comments come amid heightened debate in the U.S. over religious pluralism and anti-Indian sentiment, particularly around H-1B visa holders and public expressions of Hindu identity.
After Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence and the first Hindu elected to Congress, and FBI Director Kash Patel both shared Diwali greetings on social media, they faced a wave of xenophobic and anti-Hindu backlash, including comments such as “Diwali is un-American” and “Seek Jesus.”
Vance’s remarks, which drew applause from the conservative audience, highlighted his belief in the importance of faith in public life — while also drawing renewed attention to the intersection of religion, identity, and tolerance in America’s increasingly diverse political landscape.