Usha Vance's Drastic Job Change Puts Melania Trump's 2024 RNC Absence On Blast

In a move totally out of left field, Donald Trump announced on July 15 that he picked J.D. Vance to join him on the Republican ticket for the 2024 presidential election. It's a bold choice — Vance was formerly a harsh critic of the former president — but it may ultimately be a smart one. The 39-year-old Ohio senator's youth could appeal to Gen X voters and help counter the concerns over Trump's age. His hard-line conservative stance on most topics will appeal to Trump's equally hard-line MAGA fans. To top it off, he's a family man with a wife who's already distinguishing herself by being heavily involved in her husband's campaign — unlike Melania Trump. 

According to CNN and other sources, Usha resigned from her position as a litigator for the San Francisco-based Munger, Tolles & Olson law firm on the day her husband was named as Trump's VP choice. She was also right by his side as he accepted the nomination, making Melania's absence from the convention all the more obvious.

At 38, Yale grad Usha Chilukuri Vance is just as young and dynamic as her husband. Her parents immigrated from India , which adds needed representation to the Trump camp. The mom of three children under 7, Usha is much further from the empty-nest stage than Melania, who's about to send son Barron off to college. Usha's most recent move proves she's all in for the campaign and beyond. 

The addition of J.D. and Usha Vance to Donald Trump's proposed second administration is a savvy PR move on his part. With the cracks in the Trump marriage becoming more and more obvious, having a young vice president with a devoted wife should provide the nuclear-family optics the MAGA faithful love to see. As of the second night of the Republican National Convention, Melania Trump had yet to make an appearance, while Donald Jr., Eric, and Tiffany Trump were all in attendance. So were the Trump daughters-in-law, though Lara Trump threw a little shade on Kimberly Guilfoyle by stepping in front of her as the camera rolled on the first night. 

Usha's decision to put her husband's political career ahead of her legal one was a stand-by-your-man moment currently missing in the lives of the Trumps. Never a fan of political life, Melania may be an absentee first lady if her husband returns to the White House. Rumor has it she plans to divide her time between Mar-a-Lago in Florida and Trump Tower in Manhattan, coming to D.C. only for official functions. Melania's statement following the assassination attempt on her husband spoke volumes as well. She referenced their highs and lows together, called him "generous and caring" (via X, formerly Twitter) and praised his "laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration," but she never came out and said they love each other. Between Trump's popularity among his fans and the Vances' loved-up image, the Republican ticket could be stronger than ever.