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Vance praises immigrant in-laws, calls for America-first mindset
JD Vance is married to Indian American lawyer Usha Vance, who has been instrumental in his run for office.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Wed, 15, Apr 2026
- 00:40 EDT
- 30
Vance looks on as her husband takes the vice presidential oath of office / Wikimedia commons
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, on April 14, acknowledged the contributions of his Indian American immigrant in-laws to the United States, highlighting the need for placing the interest of the United States above the interests of their country of origin.
Speaking at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia, Vance, who is married to Usha Bala Vance, described his in-laws as “great people” and “great contributors to the United States of America.”
Second Lady Usha Vance was born in San Diego County, California, to Hindu parents, Lakshmi and Radhakrishna Chilukuri, both Telugu Indian immigrants who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s from Andhra Pradesh.
Her father is a mechanical engineer from IIT Madras and a lecturer at San Diego State University, and her mother is a molecular biologist and provost at the University of California, San Diego.
ALSO READ: VP Vance to publish book on his Catholic faith
Usha Vance, who is a Yale- and Cambridge-trained litigator, was instrumental in JD Vance’s campaign run and currently serves as his trusted confidante, or a “spirit guide,” as she puts it. She kicked off her support for his office run at the Republican National Convention in July 2024, delivering the introductory address for her husband, JD Vance.
During the address, Vance highlighted the significance of prioritizing the interests of the country you live in and argued that it does not matter if a person is a first-generation immigrant or whether his family has been in the United States for nine generations.
He said, “One of the responsibilities that we must expect of citizens... is that you have to think about the best interests of the country, and not the country you came from beforehand, and not of any sort of, any group that you came from, you've got to think of yourself as an American.”
He continued, “The system only works if everybody thinks of themselves as an American.”
JD VANCE JUST NOW: "I am married to the daughter of immigrants from India, and I love my in-laws. They're great people and have been great contributors to the USA."
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2026
"You can believe that there's a lot of H-1B fraud, while also believing people have come to the US who have… pic.twitter.com/MwMta2Igsj
Substantiating his argument, Vance recollected a conversation he had with his “wonderful” father-in-law, about an event Vance attended during his campaign for Senate. Vance pointed out that a Ukrainian American got “really agitated” when Vance called for an end to U.S. funding of Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war.
However, Vance described the Trump administration’s refusal to provide military aid to Ukraine a decision he is proud of, highlighting the need for prioritizing the interests of the United States before the interests of the person’s country of origin.
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