Usha Vance Making Her Mark in India

Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, appears to be making quite an impression during the couple’s visit this week to India, the original home of her parents.

Despite her usually being a quiet presence at public events, the spotlight is now on Usha Vance as a cultural connector between New Delhi and Washington.

Usha Vance told NDTV, an Indian media outlet, that the trip was of great importance to her, as the daughter of Indian immigrants.

“My children have never been to India, which is a terrible oversight, but also just the circumstances of my husband’s campaigns,” she said. “Just allowing them to see all the things that they’ve heard about … and, of course, seeing sights like the Taj Mahal and meeting the [Indian] prime minister, those were very special.”

JD Vance later joked of his wife during a speech on Indian-American relations, “She’s a bit of a celebrity, it turns out, in India. I think, more so than her husband.”

Vice President JD Vance and wife Usha arrive in New Delhi, India, on Monday. (Kenny Holston/AFP via Getty Images)

The joke was reminiscent of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks during his 1961 state visit to France with the Francophone first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who was admired by Parisian crowds and newspapers.

“I do not think it altogether inappropriate to introduce myself to this audience: I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline the Kennedy to Paris,” the then-president quipped during his visit.

But the vice president did not travel to India merely to tell jokes.

Vance announced during his visit that the United States had come to an agreement on terms of reference with India for trade negotiations, and applauded India’s government for its openness to cooperation. He also made oblique criticisms of other foreign partners.

“Our administration seeks trade partners on the basis of fairness and of shared national interests. We want to build relationships with our foreign partners who respect their workers, who don’t suppress their wages to boost exports, but respect the value of their labor,” he said.

Meanwhile, India’s relationship with neighboring Pakistan has also become increasingly contentious.

On Tuesday, at least 26 tourists were killed by gunmen in an Indian-controlled area of Kashmir, a territory which both nations have wrestled over for decades.

Vance extended his and the first lady’s sympathies to India.

“Usha and I extend our condolences to the victims of the devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India,” he wrote on X.

“Over the past few days, we have been overcome with the beauty of this country and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn this horrific attack.”

India will likely be a major focus of the administration going forward, as it seeks to decrease trade reliance on China and shift more of its military and diplomatic resources toward protecting interests in Asia and the Pacific. 

As such, Usha Vance’s role as a cultural connector between New Delhi and Washington might prove invaluable going forward.

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