Who is Usha Chilukuri Vance, America’s soon-to-be second lady?

Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is set to become the first Indian-origin second lady of the United States. Her roots trace back to India’s Andhra Pradesh. Born and raised in suburban San Diego, Usha’s ancestral village has been asking for improvements to their land in hopes that her historical position will bring about positive change.

A highly accomplished lawyer and child of Indian immigrants, Usha Vance is known for her academic success. Her husband, JD Vance, is a vice presidential candidate in Trump’s election campaign.

During a rally, Donald Trump praised JD Vance and his wife, saying, “I want to be the first to congratulate — now I can say Vice President-elect JD Vance. And his remarkable and beautiful wife, Usha Vance.” Trump also described Vance as a “feisty guy,” with both JD and Usha in attendance, along with Trump’s wife, Melania, on stage.

More on Usha Vance’s Indian roots

Ancestral Roots: Usha Vance hails from Vadluru, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India. Her family moved abroad over 50 years ago and have since contributed to the village by donating land for temples like Sai Baba, Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy and Goddess Bala Seeta which were built for the welfare of the village.

Prayers for Vance’s success: Villagers in Vadluru have prayed for JD Vance’s success in the elections, hoping that his victory will bring pride to the village and strengthen India-US relations.

Family ties to the village: Though Usha has never visited the village, her father, Chilukuri Radhakrishnan, visited around three years ago to check on the condition of the temples.

Usha Vance’s background: Usha Vance, a Yale Law School graduate, is set to become the first non-white Second Lady of the United States if Donald Trump wins re-election. Usha met her husband, JD Vance, at Yale Law School and the couple married in 2014. They have three children together.

Immigrant Heritage: Usha Vance’s parents immigrated to the United States from India in 1986. She was born in San Diego and raised in an upper-middle-class suburb. Usha’s great-grandfather left Vadluru and her father was brought up in Chennai before pursuing further education in the US. Usha Vance’s story is representative of the growing Indian-American community, with the US Census showing that Indians are the country’s second largest Asian ethnic group, having grown by 50% to 4.8 million people from 2010 to 2020.