In a candid conversation on Citizen McCain, Usha Vance—wife of Vice President JD Vance—offered a rare glimpse into her family’s interfaith dynamic, revealing how she and her husband are raising their three children with both Hindu and Catholic traditions.
Speaking with podcast host Meghan McCain, the Second Lady shared that their children—Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel—are being brought up in a home that embraces both her Hindu roots and JD Vance’s Catholic faith.
“So what we’ve ended up doing is we send our kids to Catholic school,” Usha said. “And we’ve given them each the choice, right? They can choose whether they want to be baptised Catholic and go through the whole process with their classes in school.”
Her remarks shed light on how the couple has navigated religion in their marriage—something that became a more immediate discussion after the birth of their first child.
“When I met JD, he wasn’t Catholic,” she explained. “He converted later, and that happened after we had our first child—maybe after Vivek was born too. Conversion to Catholicism comes with serious commitments, like raising your children in the faith.”
Usha, who has chosen not to convert, said the decision led to “a lot of real conversations” between the couple about how to balance their differing religious backgrounds in raising their kids.
Despite not practicing Catholicism herself, Usha ensures that her children remain connected to their Hindu heritage. From books and cultural traditions to a recent trip to India rich with spiritual moments, she said the children are exposed to both worlds.
“They know I’m not Catholic,” she noted. “But they also have plenty of access to the Hindu tradition—from the books we give them, to things we show them, to the recent trip to India and the religious elements of that visit.”
Usha also shared touching memories of her grandmother, who continues to be a devout Hindu and plays a vital role in connecting the next generation to their Indian roots.
“She prays every day, goes to the temple regularly, and performs her own pujas,” Usha said. “They get to see that.”
Though the family doesn’t consistently observe Hindu festivals at home, Usha mentioned that they do celebrate when they can. One tradition she’s particularly excited to share with her children?
“We’re actually hoping to have a Holi party,” she said with a smile. “We’re looking forward to that next year.”
Usha Vance, who met JD Vance at Yale University before marrying him in 2014, is the first Indian-American to serve as Second Lady of the United States. She once identified as a Democrat—a detail that surprised many of her friends when she became the spouse of a Republican political figure, according to The New York Times.
