JD Vance Faces Criticism After Saying He Hopes His Hindu Wife Converts to Christianity

Vice President JD Vance told a packed college arena that he hopes his 🕉️Hindu wife will one day convert to ✝️Christianity — a remark that has drawn backlash and reignited debate over faith and interfaith marriage.

According to The Associated Press, Vance, who converted to Catholicism five years into his marriage with Usha Chilukuri Vance, shared his comments during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi. When asked how the couple raises their children given their different religions, he replied:

“Do I hope that eventually she is somehow moved by what I was moved by in church? Yeah, honestly, I do wish that, because I believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way,” Vance said. “But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.”

His remarks drew criticism from the 🕉️Hindu American Foundation, which said in a statement that the comments reflected “a belief that there is only one true path to salvation — a concept that Hinduism simply doesn’t have.”

Vance responded to a critic online who accused him of disrespecting his wife’s religion, calling the accusation “disgusting.” He wrote that his wife is “the most amazing blessing” in his life and that she encouraged him to reconnect with his faith.