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On 29th October, United States Vice President James David (JD) Vance declared that he hoped his wife, Usha Bala Chilukuri who comes from a Hindu family of Telugu immigrants, would eventually convert to Christianity in the name of “free will” and “mutual respect” in their interfaith union. He made the comments while addressing the Turning Point USA (United States of America) Event in Mississippi. “Now, most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church. As I’ve told her, and as I’ve said publicly, and as 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 expressed. 🚨 JUST IN: JD Vance says he's raising his children Christian, and he hopes his agnostic wife, Usha, comes around to the Christian faithVance's 8-year-old did his first Communion "about a year ago," and his two oldest kids go to a Christian school"Most Sundays, Usha comes… pic.twitter.com/RuXAWOD58j— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 30, 2025 The statement came after a query about Vance’s hopes for his wife to possibly “come to Christ” in the future. He emphasised that the couple had made their “own arrangement” in their dual-faith home as well as insisted that religious beliefs are very personal and do not cause any issues in their family. “If she doesn’t, then god says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me. One of the most important Christian principles is that you respect free will,” Vance claimed. “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,” he conveyed and maintained that the pair has managed their interfaith household in a “balanced” manner. “Everybody has to come to their own arrangement here. The way that we’ve come to our arrangement is that she’s my best friend. We talk to each other about this stuff. We’ve decided to raise our kids Christian. Our two oldest kids, who go to school, go to a Christian school. Our 8-year-old did his first communion about a year ago. That’s the way that we have come to our arrangement,” the vice president highlighted. Vance also boasted that Usha was more acquainted with the priest who performed his baptism. Vance advocates for the integration of religion and politics The Republican leader even disagreed with the idea that religion must be kept out of politics and public life. “Anybody who tells you it’s required by the Constitution is lying to you. The Supreme Court interpreted ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion’ to effectively exclude religion from public spaces at the federal, state and local level. I think it was a terrible mistake, and we’re still paying for the consequences of it today,” he complained. “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 the fact that I think the Christian foundation of this country is a good thing,” Vance asserted regarding the separation of church and state. Vance engaged in discussions with college students at the occasion amid roaring applause from the conservative crowd, taking the place of his late friend and conservative leader Charlie Kirk who was shot dead in Utah last month. Usha showed reluctance to embrace Christianity The Second Lady of the United States spoke out just a few months ago about how she, a Hindu and her husband who is a Catholic, were raising their children in an interfaith home. “When you convert to Catholicism it comes with several important obligations, like to raise your child in the faith and all that,” she explained in a conversation with Meghan McCain. However, contrary to her spouse’s wishes, she outlined her disinterest and stressed, “We had to have a lot of real conversations about how do you do that, when I’m not Catholic, and I’m not intending to convert or anything like that.” Usha stressed that they had given “them each the choice,” as she talked about sending their children to a Catholic school. She stated that her children understood her position on the issue properly, even if she hoped to turn their church-going custom into a “family experience.” Usha pointed out, “The kids know that I’m not Catholic, and they have plenty of access to the Hindu tradition from books that we give them, to things that we show them, to the recent trip to India, and some of the religious elements of that visit.” How Usha’s Hindu roots supported Vance in his beliefs Vance met Usha while attending Yale Law School prior to his conversion to Catholicism in 2019. He was brought up in a non-Christian household and did not frequently attend church as a child. “In fact, when I met my wife I would consider myself an agnostic or an atheist, that’s what she would have considered herself as well,” he voiced at the recent program. Interestingly, the faith he desires her to substitute with Christianity has played a crucial role in assisting him to overcome challenges and harmonise his Catholic beliefs. “I was never baptised. I was raised Christian but never baptised. I was first baptised in 2018. Usha was raised non-Christian. She is actually not Christian. But I remember when I started to re-engage with my faith, Usha was very supportive. Usha was actually raised non-Christian. But I remember when I started to re-engage with my faith, Usha was very supportive,” Vance recounted in an interview with Fox News. “My parents are Hindu and that’s one of the things that made them such good parents and good people and I have seen the power of that in my own life. I knew that JD was searching for something. This just felt right for him,” Usha added with pride. “My parents’ Hindu faith made them great parents” – Usha VanceShe’s a Hindu & was supportive of her husband’s rediscovery of his own faith (One of her sons is named Vivek too 😂)Vance, anti-war & Trump’s VP, so far seems to be a net positive for Indiapic.twitter.com/KtbOUNT9ba— Alexei Arora (@AlexeiArora) July 15, 2024 Notably, the former Donald Trump detractor also acknowledged that he felt guilty about taking his Hindu wife to church on Sundays, in contrast to his current conversion aspirations. Vance stated that she was “more than ok with it,” even if she “didn’t sign up to marry a weekly churchgoer,” in a previous interview with the New York Times. JD Vance ‘feels bad’ for taking Hindu-raised wife Usha to Mass after he converted: ‘Didn’t sign up to marry a weekly churchgoer pic.twitter.com/vNuXi1knkS— New York Post (@nypost) October 12, 2024 Stunning change of stance amidst rising Hindu animosity, anti-Indian rhetoric in the US It is not unusual for politicians to shift their positions, retract promises or resort to dishonorable tactics for petty agendas as this is part of the political landscape. However, Vance’s remarks have laid bare the pervasive supremacist ideology embedded in the American society. This is not the first display of such distasteful discourse as the escalating anti-India sentiment and hatred for Hindus have been present for years and have recently become prominent in the age of internet. This vitriol which is brazenly portrayed on social media has also culminated in fatal crimes against the members of the Indian community in the land of the Ku Klux Klan. A disturbing incident occurred last month when a Dallas motel manager Chandra Mouli Nagamallaiah, a Karnataka native, was brutally killed after advising a guest against using a malfunctioning washing machine. The horrific act was committed by 37-year-old Yordanis Cobos-Martinez in the presence of the victim’s wife and children who unsuccessfully tried to intervene. Cobos-Martinez and a woman were cleaning a room and he became irritated since Nagamallaiah relied on her to translate for him rather than speaking to the perpetrator directly. Hence, he decapitated him, kicked his head into the parking lot and then placed it in a dumpster. A trivial matter led to the death of an innocent man, demonstrating that the venom directed at Indians has tangible consequences in reality. There appears to be no distinction between the ideology of a career criminal and that of a police officer, as showcased following the death of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula who was from Andhra Pradesh, in January 2023. She was killed by a police officer named Kevin Dave in Seattle, Washington. A bodycam video featuring Daniel Auderer, a leader of the Seattle Police Department union gained widespread attention as he was captured making jokes about the tragedy. He chuckled and mocked that she was 26 and her life had “limited value” alongside adding that the city should simply “write a cheque” for $11,000. 23-year-old Richard Florez shot and killed a 27-year-old Indian student in Dallas. Hyderabad native Chandrashekar Pole who moved to the Western country in 2023 for higher studies was slain while he was working at a gas station. The prevalence of such incidents is escalating with the intensifying rhetoric against Indian Hindus in America as they are being painted as lesser humans, making them vulnerable targets and easy preys to both deranged individuals and racists, irrespective of their social standing. Neo-Nazis demonstrate genocidal loathing for Indians and deride Hindu gods While Indians are facing violence and attacks, the racists are focused on stoking the flames online by belittling Sanatan Dharma, its deities and even calling for an end to its practice, especially in “Christian nations.” The same was at peak during Diwali when they could not bear the celebrations and festivities, prompting them to initiate an abhorrent attack on Hindus, reminiscent of jihadis and Islamists. Additionally, referring to Hindus as pagans, labeling Hindu gods as “false or demonic” and encouraging others to write “Curse Vishnu” to prove their their non-Indianness has become a widespread behavior among the MAGA (Make America Great Again) group. American politicians are similarly complicit in this reprehensible rhetoric as evidenced by Republican Senate candidate for Texas, Alexander Duncan who referred to Lord Hanuman as a “false god” and opposed his idol in the “Christian country.” He then proceeded to quote Bible versus to prove his point and later defended his Hinduphobic post. This cabal aims to deport all Indians even those from the Trump administration, including Tulsi Gabbard which is quite amusing as she is of Samoan and Caucasian descent, solely due to her Hindu faith. The citizenship of these individuals or their shared conservative views does not prevent them from pursuing a racist agenda and harboring a toxic mindset. Likewise, these racists even exalt colonization, genocide and the deaths of Indians, employ the most derogatory language against them, hold them accountable for all the ills under the sun including the destruction of wildlife which India has remarkably excelled in conserving despite the near-endangerment caused by the invaders, merely to undermine the bloodstained history of their white ancestors. White Racists are making racist jokes Indians over the mass casualty Ahmedabad Plane Crash.Horrible people. pic.twitter.com/NozGLut8aL— Sensei Kraken Zero (@YearOfTheKraken) June 12, 2025 All Indian stereotypes, regardless of the inaccuracy are amplified and their every achievement is downplayed while shamelessly justifying the actions of their imperialist heroes. More importantly, these neo-Nazis do not have hesitation in making open threats of genocide and colonization against Indians. It is significant to mention that even Vance’s family has been targeted by white supremacists due to his wife. Now, if that same man who occupies the second most significant position in the world’s most powerful country which claims to be an ideal liberal democracy, is engaging in such rhetoric, it is very troubling. The United States claims to grant equal rights to all its citizens, regardless of their religion, gender, race or other differences. Thus, what effect will these comments have on the Indian or Hindu community there which is already grappling with a high degree of racism? Is it not likely to embolden Christian radicals and racists to intensify their attacks? Moreover, does it not highlight Vance’s own biases and personal prejudices particularly considering that his wife is part of the community despised by his conservative supporters. He was even refraining from stating that she is a Hindu and opted to replace the term with “agnostic.” How could it be so difficult to marry a Hindu woman yet not recognize her religion? Such statements from the vice president of a country that releases a mandated “US Commission on International Religious Freedom” vividly paints a picture of hypocrisy and double standards, which honestly is quite characteristic of America. Meanwhile, the hostile remarks and policies orchestrated by Donald Trump, owing to the Modi government’s refusal to submit to his demands in relation to accepting his self-proclaimed mediation between New Delhi and Islamabad, halting the purchase of Russian oil and nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize have only added fuel to the anti-India sentiment among the racists. The United States, which often lectures the world, particularly India, on individual freedom, equality, tolerance, minority rights and similar aspects, consistently favors Christianity over other religions. This nation, which strives to portray itself as nothing less than a real world utopia, despite being the farthest from perfection, is, in fact, a hub of racism and Hindumisia. The President of the United States swears an oath on the Bible, unlike in India where the Constitution is utilized, highlighting the subjective and non-secular nature of the Oval Office. Their media has likewise communicated such malice for ages, as evidenced by American newspapers in 1910 which were filled with spite towards the “Hindoos.” The shared theme among these conservatives, from Trump and Vance to an ordinary troll or their media and diplomats, appears to be the same: to insult Hinduism as well as target India and Indians, of course, with varying degrees of bile and manipulation in language. The present administration is thus catering to its racist audience, fully aware of the consequences for ordinary Indians and Hindus. However, as has always been the case, when has America ever prioritised anything other than its own interests and agenda? Moreover, Vance will likely be the presidential candidate for the GOP after the end of the Trump’s term, and he is likely to be criticised by conservatives for non having a non-Christian wife. Despite being the so-called champion of democracy, the post of president in the USA is always occupied by Christians, and that to men, and it is unlikely to change in near future. Therefore, it is very much possible for Vance to convince his wife to convert to Christianity before the next presidential elections.
