Vance Faces Criticism for Saying He Hopes His Hindu Wife Will Convert to Christianity

SadaNews - U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is facing sharp criticism after he told a group of college students in Mississippi that he hopes his Hindu wife, Second Lady Usha Vance, will abandon her faith and embrace Christianity, according to the Independent.

The Vice President was speaking at the University of Mississippi at an event sponsored by the organization Turning Point USA, a group founded by conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk, who was recently assassinated, when a questioner raised the topic of his wife's religious background.

Vance responded that his wife came from a "not particularly religious" Hindu family, and mentioned that they have always had open discussions about religious matters regarding the upbringing of their three children - two of whom are attending a Christian school, and all of whom have been raised in the Christian faith.

After noting that Usha frequently attends church with him, he expressed his hope that she would someday be influenced by the same reasons that led him to convert to Catholicism in his youth.

He stated, "I sincerely hope so because I believe in the Christian gospel, and I hope my wife sees it that way in the end... If she doesn't, God says everyone has free will; so that doesn't cause me any problem."

Vance's remarks, which were aired on Fox News, stirred up reactions from some users on the platform X.

An American commentator of Indian descent named Deep Parrot mocked Vance's suggestion that his wife was previously "agnostic," while she has acknowledged being raised in Hindu traditions.

He said, "Usha Vance is Hindu, not agnostic, and that's not hard for you to understand. They even had a Hindu wedding...".

Parrot added that Vance is the "biggest hypocrite" for belittling his wife's background, and he will face difficulties in his potential presidential bid in 2028 as a result.

Another Indian commentator, Nirmalya Dutta, described Vance as a "first-class hypocrite" for the same reason, pointing out that the Vice President had praised his wife's faith in rekindling his interest in his own religion.

In a June interview, Usha mentioned that she and the Vice President had "several discussions" about faith when he was considering converting to Catholicism, noting that his decision came with "several important commitments, such as raising the child in faith and so on."

She revealed at that time that she "does not intend to convert to Christianity or anything like that" and that she and her husband have given their children the "choice" of experiencing the religious traditions of both.

She continued, "The kids know that I am not Catholic, and they have plenty of access to Hindu traditions through the books we provide them, the things we expose them to, and our recent trip to India, along with some religious elements from that visit."