Ohio Senator J.D. Vance’s wife Usha made her primetime debut Wednesday night when she introduced her husband as Donald Trump’s running mate ahead of his speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, WI.
‘It’s safe to say that neither J.D. nor I expected to find ourselves in this position, but it’s hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream,’ Vance said. ‘I’m grateful to all of you for the trust you have placed in him and in our family.’
The 38-year-old Ivy-League educated litigator was with the senator on the convention floor when he was officially nominated as vice presidential pick for the Republican 2024 ticket on Monday.
But Wednesday night viewers from around the world watched as she gave her first public remarks at the Fiserv Forum since he was announced as the former president’s pick.
Usha Vance takes the convention stage to introduce her husband J.D. Vance before he accepts the Republican nomination for vice president
‘When I was asked to introduce my husband J.D. Vance to all of you, I was at a loss. What would I say that hasn’t already been said before? After all, he was already subject of a Ron Howard movie,’ she joked after taking the stage referencing the movie version of his memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’
The stunning woman was all smiles as she took the stage in a deep blue dress.
She described Vance Wednesday night as the most interesting person she knew who overcame childhood traumas and whose idea of a good time is to ‘play with puppies.’
Vance was thrust into the international spotlight this week and could end up becoming Second Lady if Republicans win the election in November.
She has not said what she would focus on if she finds herself in the role, but Vance is extremely accomplished in her own right.
Senator J.D. Vance and Usha share a kiss after she welcomes him to the stage at the convention
Usha Vance walking onto the stage on Day Three of the Republican National Convention
Usha and J.D. Vance arriving on the floor for Day One of the Republican National Convention on Monday
Vance first met her husband J.D. when they were both students at Yale Law School in 2013. They married on year out of law school in 2014.
In 2017, the couple welcomed the first of three children, Ewan Blaine. They also have a second son Vivek and welcomed a daughter Mirabel in December 2021.
Vance was recently asked if she is prepared for all eyes on her if her husband is tapped as Trump’s running mate.
‘I don’t know if anyone is ever ready for that kind of scrutiny,’ Vance told Fox & Friends last month before he was officially announced the nominee.
‘I think we found the first campaign he embarked on to be a shock. It was so different from anything we had ever done before, but it was an adventure,’ she said.
She told Fox at the time she was not raring to change anything in their lives but she really believes in her husband and loves him, so they will see what happens.
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance kisses wife Usha on the convention floor in Milwaukee on Monday as he is officially nominated for the GOP ticket
Usha and JD Vance with their three children. They welcomed their first child in 2017. Their daughter Mirabel was born in December 2021
JD and Usha Vance with two of their three children Ewan and Vivek
The daughter of Indian immigrants, born Usha Chilukuri, Vance was raised in the suburbs of San Diego. She has said she was raised in a religious Hindu family.
From California she moved across the country for college and went to Yale University where she majored in history. After that, she continued her studies at University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar.
At Yale Law School, she was an editor of the Yale Law Journal and managing editor of the Yale Journal of Law & Technology.
Until recently, Vance was an attorney at the San Francisco and Washington, DC law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson where she focused on complex civil litigation and appeals. She left the firm after her husband was picked as Trump’s running mate.
Usha Chilukuri Vance standing with her husband JD Vance as he arrives for his 2022 election night party after being declared the winner of the Ohio Senate race on November 8, 2022
The couple celebrating on election night in 2022 after Vance won the Senate race. She described his first campaign in Ohio as an ‘adventure’
When her husband jumped into the 2022 Ohio Senate race, Vance could be spotted throughout the state at campaign events.
She also appeared in his first campaign ads where she talked about Vance’s upbringing and having him by her side as a husband and parent to their children.
She’s described him as an incredible father and her best friend.
JD Vance kissed by his wife Usha on the night of the Ohio Senate primary on May 3, 2022
At Munger, Tolles & Olson, Vance’s cases focused on a wide range of topics including higher education, local government, entertainment and technology.
Previously, she clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. She also clerked Justice Brett Kavanaugh back when he was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia as well as Judge Amul Thapar in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
At Yale Law school, she also participated in the Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic, the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, and the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project.
When asked last month what issue she would focus on if she were to become Second Lady, Vance declined to answer.