5 Signs JD And Usha Vance's Marriage Might Not Last

If a former friend of JD Vance who spoke to The New York Times is to be believed, he has changed quite a bit since walking the hallowed halls of Yale. The Ohio native once staunchly supported LGBTQ+ rights, and even famously identified as a "Never Trumper." Naturally, all of that has since changed. JD met his wife, Usha Vance, at Yale, and the two fell madly in love almost instantly. This has left many wondering how Usha feels about who her husband is now, given his radical political transformation over the span of just a few years. Does Usha still recognize the man she married?

Their relationship has been under a glaring spotlight ever since JD got tapped for vice president. It was revealed that Usha used to lean left, with friends telling the Daily Beast that she had no plans to vote for Trump in the 2016 election, favoring his opponent Hillary Clinton instead. Usha's family are all supporters of the Democratic Party, and yet, Usha has made history as the first Indian-American Second Lady, and as a presumed member of the Republican Party, no less. Friends recall that Usha was never much interested in politics and rarely discussed it. Meanwhile, her future hubby was the opposite. 

Usha did, however, speak out about January 6, with one insider dishing to the Daily Beast, "Usha found the incursion on the Capitol and Trump's role in it to be deeply disturbing. She was generally appalled by Trump, from the moment of his first election." But now, somehow, she is part of his administration, thanks to her husband's unflinching loyalty to the divisive politician. Friends further insisted that if Usha wasn't all in, she would have jumped ship a long time ago. But is it perhaps just a matter of time?

For critics looking for reasons why JD and Usha Vance's marriage might not be built to last, their different religious beliefs present a glaring red flag. JD was raised Christian, whereas Usha grew up in a Hindu household. When the happy couple got married in 2014, they held two different ceremonies to honor both of their religious beliefs. JD eventually converted to Catholicism in 2019 and later admitted to The New York Times that, while Usha supported his decision, it did place slightly more responsibilities on her. "I feel terrible for my wife because we go to church almost every Sunday unless we're on the road," the former Ohio senator acknowledged. 

Usha supported JD's decision to pursue Catholicism, and she thought it bettered his life overall, but still, he admitted, "I felt kind of bad about it, right? [...] You didn't sign up to marry a weekly churchgoer. Are you okay with this?" Usha, apparently, has been nothing but supportive, but during an interview with Fox News, she confessed that practicing different religions does require some thorough communication between her and her husband. "There are a lot of things that we just agree on, I think, especially when it comes to family life, how to raise our kids," she pointed out. "So I think the answer really is that we just talk a lot," (via Business Insider).

Once JD Vance got selected as Donald Trump's 2024 running mate, Usha Vance's life was turned completely upside down. She went from being an everyday attorney to her husband's unofficial advisor, according to family friend Jai Chabria, who spoke to USA Today, per the BBC. Other sources even warned that Usha was in danger of fading into the background as her husband's public profile grew, in part, to protect her three small children, the youngest of which was only three years old at the time. More interestingly, however, was Usha's decision to quit her prestigious job at Munger, Tolles & Olsen when her husband got selected for Trump's cabinet. 

"Usha has informed us she has decided to leave the firm. Usha has been an excellent lawyer and colleague, and we thank her for her years of work and wish her the best in her future career," a spokesperson for the firm said in a statement to ABC News. Giving up your career while your husband gets to advance his to incredible new heights is no small sacrifice. 

Usha hinted at why she decided to quit her job during a chat with NBC News. "The thing that JD asked, and the thing that I certainly agreed to do, is to keep him company," she explained while discussing being out on the campaign trail, elaborating, "To have company, someone to talk to in between and someone to talk to you about things that are either entirely unrelated to the events, or just maybe to get my perception on how a particular rally went."

Of course, JD Vance's tragic, real-life story is no secret. He rather famously documented his turbulent upbringing and the long-lasting effect it has had on his life in the bestselling memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," and went into some detail on how it affected his relationship with Usha Vance too. "Even at my best, I'm a delayed explosion," the controversial politician disclosed, adding that going to therapy didn't work for him. Instead, Usha became the one who kept JD in check. 

"I can be defused, but only with skill and precision. It's not just that I've learned to control myself, but that Usha has learned how to manage me," the VP penned. Some might argue that this doesn't exactly sound like a healthy relationship dynamic. He even recalled lashing out at her after botching a job interview. Usha, meanwhile, shared in an interview prior to her husband's boss winning the 2025 election that she doesn't agree with everything JD and Donald Trump stand for. 

"We're two different people," Usha began, in what is a line commonly associated with a breakup speech. "We have lots of different backgrounds and interests and things like that, so we come to different conclusions all the time," (via the Irish Star). She did add, however, "But that's part of the fun of being married." Usha also emphasized that she still trusts JD even when they disagree.

Predictably, Usha Vance became the victim of disgusting racist attacks the moment her husband was announced as Donald Trump's running mate, with JD Vance at one point clapping back at the haters with the simple but efficient retort: "She's out of your league" (via the BBC). While making an appearance on "The Megyn Kelly Show," the bestselling author addressed some of the vitriol his wife had to deal with since the couple was thrust into the international spotlight. "Obviously, she's not a white person, and we've been accused, attacked by some white supremacists over that," JD noted. 

The "Hillbilly Elegy" author was likely referring to notorious white supremacist Nick Fuentes, who filmed a long-winded rant about the Vances, and especially Usha's Indian heritage. "JD Vance has a non-white wife, and Indian wife, and a kid named Vivek [...] So what exactly are we getting here?" Fuentes questioned, arguing that someone like JD, who would marry a non-white woman, wasn't likely to support "white identity," before going on to criticize his "mixed-up family," (via X, formerly known as Twitter). 

With the couple officially being the second family of the United States, pundits and the press alike are eager to know what JD Vance's bond with Usha Vance is really like, and this has likely put their marriage under serious pressure. When you ask their friends and former classmates, most accounts have the same thing in common: JD and Usha are two very different people. "I never thought of her as someone who would run for office," a former Yale classmate of Usha's admitted to the Daily Beast, noting that they always assumed she'd continue doing her work behind the scenes. "In that way, they're the perfect combination because he [JD] always did like the spotlight," they added.

The statement about their differences when it comes to fame making them a good match is debatable too. Usha told Fox News in June 2024, about a month before her husband got tapped for VP, that she wasn't exactly jumping up and down with excitement over the possibility, reasoning, "I'm not raring to change anything about our lives right now," (via Business Insider). Thus, the eventual outcome probably isn't what Usha hoped for. 

JD's nomination shoved her into the spotlight, forced Usha to defend his "childless cat ladies" comments, and left her trying to resist the urge to read the negative press about the couple — not exactly the dream life of someone just looking to keep a low profile. In fact, Usha confirmed to NBC News that she and JD often discuss the negative coverage about them even if they try their best not to let it get to them. Regardless, one thing's for sure — JD's vice presidency will surely test his marriage.