JD Vance Feels 'Terrible' For 'Dragging' Hindu Wife Usha To Church: 'She Didn’t Sign Up For This'

Ohio Senator and Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, has expressed his discomfort about taking his wife, Usha Vance, to church every week, acknowledging that "she didn't sign up for this."

Vance mentioned that Usha, who was brought up in a Hindu household, has not converted to Catholicism, despite regularly attending Mass with him.

Photo Credit: PTI

In an interview with the New York Times, Vance admitted feeling uneasy about the impact his religious journey has had on his wife.

"I feel - felt - kind of bad," he admitted. "Like, 'Oh, you didn't sign up to marry a weekly churchgoer, and are you OK with this?' And she was sort of more than OK with it, and that was a big part of the confirmation that this was the right thing for me."

Vance revealed that Usha had encouraged him to explore Catholicism, even though she didn't follow the faith herself.

"She thought that they were good for me, in a sort of good-for-your-soul kind of way," he explained.

"I don't think I would have ever done it without her support, because I felt kind of bad about it, right?"

Reflecting on his spiritual growth, Vance discussed his deeper motivations.

"When I started to think about the big things, like, what do I actually care about in my life? I really want to be a good husband. I really want to be a good father. I really want to be a good member of the community. I wanted to be a virtuous human being, in other words."

Despite Usha's support, Vance recognised the pressure she faces. "I feel terrible for my wife because we go to church almost every Sunday, unless we're on the road," he explained. Although he helps with their children, Usha often feels responsible for keeping them quiet during the service.

"Obviously, I help with the kids, but because I'm kind of the one going to church, she feels more responsibility to keep the kids quiet in the church."

Usha and JD Vance met at Yale Law School and married in Kentucky in 2014, with a Hindu priest presiding over a separate ceremony. The couple have three children.

Usha has played a key role in JD's political career, helping him shape his views on the social decline in rural America, which inspired his best-selling memoir 'Hillbilly Elegy'.

The book was later adapted into a film directed by Ron Howard in 2020.