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VP Vance faces flak for hoping wife converts to Christianity
The vice president’s remarks, made in response to an Indian-origin woman’s question at a Turning Point USA event, have reignited debate over faith, family, and interfaith tolerance.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 30, Oct 2025
- 16:03 EDT
- 46
An Indian-origin woman questioned JD Vance during the event / Screengrab from the event
United States Vice President JD Vance has come under fire for saying he hopes his wife, Usha Vance, will one day convert to Christianity.
Vance made the remarks while addressing the crowd at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi, where he spoke about his interfaith marriage and how they raise their children.
Also Read: They can choose: Usha Vance on raising kids in interfaith home
Responding to a question about his wife’s faith, Vance said, “My wife did not grow up Christian. I think it’s fair to say that she grew up in a Hindu family, but not a particularly religious family in either direction.”
Vance said the couple decided to raise their children Christian and send them to a Christian school. “Our two oldest kids who go to school, they go to a Christian school. Our eight-year-old did his first communion about a year ago,” he said.
He added that Usha often joins him for Sunday services. “Now most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church. As I’ve told her, and I’ve said publicly, and I’ll say now in front of 10,000 of my closest friends—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,” he said.
However, Vance further clarified that his wife’s religious choice would not be a point of conflict in their marriage. “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, with your family, with the person that you love. One of the most important Christian principles is that you respect free will.”
His remarks quickly drew criticism online, with many users accusing the vice president of being insensitive toward his wife’s Hindu faith.
“She’s a devout Hindu… now he’s trying to convert his wife. That’s the problem with these Abrahamic religions,” one user wrote on X.
Others called the statement “hypocritical,” pointing out that Vance had previously credited Usha’s Hindu upbringing for influencing his own spiritual journey.
Some, however, defended Vance’s comments, saying he was merely expressing his faith. “Praying for Usha. An equally yoked marriage is a blessing,” one user wrote.
Earlier this year, Usha Vance discussed the couple’s interfaith household in an interview on Meghan McCain’s podcast Citizen McCain. She said their children attend a Catholic school but can choose whether to be baptized.
Usha recalled that when she met JD at Yale Law School, he was not Catholic and that his conversion came later. She noted that converting to Catholicism carries obligations, such as raising children in the faith—something the couple discussed at length. Although supportive, she said she has no plans to convert herself.
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