When J.D. Vance told a stadium of thousands of people that he hoped his wife would one day be moved “by the gospel of Christianity” as he was, he inadvertently entered a contentious dialogue about religious freedom in India and the diaspora, and for some, evoked memories of the country’s complicated past with conversion to Christianity.
Speaking at the Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi last month, Vance was asked by an audience member about Christianity and American patriotism.
“Why are we making Christianity one of the main things that you all have to have in common to be one of us? To show that I love America as much as you do?” the audience asked.
In a long, assertive response that began on immigration, Vance said of interfaith marriage: “My wife wasn’t raised Christian. I think it’s fair to say she grew up in a Hindu family, but not a particularly religious one.”
Vance, who grew up in an evangelical household, converted to Catholicism in 2019. His wife, Usha Vance, grew up in Southern California, is of Indian descent, and was raised in a Hindu household.
“Ultimately, do I hope that she is moved in some way the way I was moved by church? I honestly hope so because I believe in the Christian gospel. I hope that eventually my wife will see it the same way,” Vance continued.
As debate over these comments began to pick up steam online among some Indians and the Indian diaspora, Vance responded to a deleted comment about
Speaking on October 30 at Turning Point USA, an event honoring his longtime friend and late conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, Vance explained that he and his wife were “agnostics or atheists” when they met.
“We have decided to raise our children as Christians,” the vice president said, adding that the couple’s 8-year-old son Vivek made his first Holy Communion a year ago. This statement was met with thunderous applause.
Usha Vance talked about navigating parenting in an interfaith marriage during an interview with Meghan McCain in June, saying that she and her husband had talked about it several times while McCain was converting to Catholicism.
“I’m not a Catholic and I have no intention of converting,” Usha Vance said.
She added that while children attend Catholic schools, they “can choose whether or not to be baptized Catholic.” They are also exposed to Hindu beliefs and traditions through their families, she said.
“My grandmother is a particularly devout Hindu. She prays every day. She goes to the temple regularly. She does her own puja (prayer ritual).”
At an event last month, the vice president said, “One of the most important Christian principles is that we respect free will…As a family, we understand this, and we trust that God has a plan, and we try to follow it to the best of our ability.”
But despite Vance’s free will, his comments struck a nerve at a time when hostility toward immigrants is rising in the United States — with some calling the vice president’s words insulting to Hindus and South Asians more broadly.
Khush Mehta, a 25-year-old from Mumbai, told CNN that Vance’s comments expressing hope that his wife would convert were “ridiculous and absolutely wrong.” “I’m all for everyone having their own identity, their own values, their own spiritual path. No one should be forced or pressured into any religion.”
“Mr. Vance felt compelled to declare that his wife was not Hindu, even though she was indeed raised as one,” Shubhangi Sharma, editor of CNN affiliate CNN News 18, wrote in an opinion column. “In a political climate where there is such heightened condemnation of Indian immigrants, this is not just personal; it is political. This is the president’s call for conversion.”
“When an elected leader treats his faith as the ultimate ideal for everyone, including his wife, it becomes less personal,” The Hindu journalist Alina Arora wrote in an op-ed, noting that at his baptism six years ago, Vance told the American Conservative, “My views on public policy and what an optimal nation should look like are fairly consistent with Catholic social teaching.”
For some, Vance’s comments were a reminder of India’s painful past, where the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century ushered in Christian proselytization, prejudice, and sometimes forced conversion, especially under British colonial rule.
“The belief that Christianity should shape public order is the same civilizational rationalization that inspired Europe’s conquest of the world,” wrote Arora, a journalist with The Hindu.
“Due to differences in how Hindus and Christians view religion and the history of colonial Christian evangelization, many Hindus today still view Christianity as a type of ‘foreign religion’ that they cannot digest,” said Chad Bauman, a professor of religious studies at Butler University in Indiana whose research focuses on interactions and conflicts between Hindus and Christians.
“This view is particularly prevalent among supporters of the party currently in power,” Bauman added, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its brand of Hindu nationalism.
India has been plagued by ethnic and religious clashes for centuries, but tensions have escalated in recent decades, particularly since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014, due to escalating violence against Christian and Muslim minorities.
India’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, but some critics argue that religious freedom has been eroded under the Bharatiya Janata Party at the expense of non-Hindu minorities. The issue of conversion remains deeply controversial, with several states enacting laws restricting conversion to any religion.
Bauman said Vance’s comments also confirmed a common stereotype held by many Hindus about religion in Trump’s America: “America is not a country of religious tolerance or pluralism, but rather a country that privileges Christianity over all other religions.”
Some social media users said Vance’s comments went against American values.
One X user criticized Vance for treating Usha’s Hindu faith as a “problem to be solved,” writing, “These are not American values. Weak leadership and poor politics, bowing to MAGA pressure and not protecting her dignity.”
Another user wrote to X: “When J.D. Vance hit rock bottom, it was his ‘Hindu’ wife and her Hindu upbringing that helped him get through the tough times. Now her religion is a burden in a position of power. What a fall.”
For some in India, Usha Vanth’s place in the government as a Hindu woman is a source of pride.
“It’s amazing to see someone with Indian roots and a Hindu background in such a visible and powerful space in the United States. It shows how far the community has come and how diverse the leadership has become,” said Mehta from Mumbai.
If the second woman were to convert, “there would be a huge backlash from people who are very loyal to their beliefs,” says Goan business owner Vanessa Almeida.
“She has to stick to her roots as much as possible,” Almeida said. “That’s what the community wants.”
CNN has reached out to the offices of the vice president and his wife.
Vance was quick to defend himself against the backlash on social media, writing on the X-Post that the criticism was fueling “anti-Christian bigotry.”
“She is not a Christian and has no plans to convert,” Vance declared, adding that Usha Vance encouraged her to “recommit” to her faith years ago.
“But like many people who are in interfaith marriages, or other interfaith relationships, I hope that one day she sees things the same way I do,” he continues. “I’m just going to continue to love her and support her and talk to her about faith and life and everything else because she’s my wife.”
“This is in stark contrast to Mr. Vance’s previous comments that his wife’s Hindu education and values were the catalyst for his return to the faith,” Priyanka Deo, a U.S. correspondent for Indian network NDTV, said on Instagram, adding that his recent comments suggest that acceptance in the U.S. is conditional and predicated on becoming a Christian.
Vance, who converted to Catholicism while already married, said his wife encouraged him to explore her faith and that his family influenced his decision.
“I remember Usha being very supportive when I started recommitting to my faith,” Vance said in a June 2024 interview with Fox News.
In the same interview, Usha Vance said she supported her husband’s decision for several reasons, including realizing the power of her parents’ faith. “That was one of the things that made them such good parents. It made them really, really good people.”
“I knew JD was looking for something, and this felt like the perfect fit for him,” she added.
Vance’s comments come ahead of the 2028 election. President Trump suggested in August that Vance was the “most likely” heir to the Make America Great Again movement, but he has been the most active in endorsing Vance as a future presidential candidate.
Vance recently told Fox News that he intends to discuss the possibility of running with President Trump after the 2026 midterm elections.
Ram Punyani, a Mumbai-based writer and critic of Hindu fundamentalism, said Vance’s comments trampled on religious freedom. Religious freedom is an essential tenant of democratic societies, whether in the United States or India, which is still widely regarded as the world’s largest democracy.
“I think American civil society used to have more liberal attitudes, but those attitudes are becoming more rigid, and that’s not healthy for the growth of democracy around the world,” he added.
Usha Vance hasn’t spoken out about her husband’s comments, but some were quick to come to her defense.
California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who is also Hindu, wrote in the X newspaper that “no one is more harsh on J.D. Vance’s policies than I am.” “But his wife is the daughter of immigrants and they have young children. Attack the policy and distance his family from the policy.”
McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, countered those who called Usha Vance a threat to the “MAGA base,” saying her younger daughter was a “huge asset” to the Republican Party, someone who bridged the party and politics and “brought warmth” to the vice president.
“She is above all a modern mother and a style icon,” McCain wrote in X. “She’s personally my favorite person in the Trump administration.”
Fix:
A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the location where Kush Mehta was interviewed. Mehta spoke to CNN from Mumbai.
