US President Trump praises Indian-American Second Lady Usha Vance

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that he would have chosen Usha Chilukuri Vance, JD Vance's wife, as his Vice President as "she is smarter but the line of succession did not work that way".

Usha, 39, on Monday, became the first Indian-American and Hindu Second Lady after her husband JD was sworn in as the 50th Vice President of the US.

At the inauguration ceremony, Usha in a pink coat, held the Bible in one hand and their daughter Mirabel Rose in the other, as Vance placed his left hand on the religious text, and raising his right hand took the oath of office.

As a lawyer who is the daughter of Indian immigrants - her parents' ancestral village is Vadluru in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh - Usha is also one of the youngest second ladies assuming the position.

She is the youngest second lady since 38-year-old Jane Hadley Barkley, the wife of former President Harry Truman's Vice President Alben Barkley.

After Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States with JD as his deputy, the 78-year-old Republican addressed a crowd in the overflow room, calling them "beautiful".

Trump praised his team, especially JD, for his successful re-election bid.

"I watch JD over a period of time. I endorsed him in Ohio. He was a great senator and a very, very smart one," said Trump, but added, "The only one smarter is his wife".

This reference made everyone around the hall laugh.

Trump then looked at JD and said, "I would have chosen her but somehow the line of succession didn't work that way, right?" But, Trump did not elaborate on the "line of succession" comment.

“She is great and he is great. This a great, beautiful couple and an unbelievable career,” he continued.

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a mentor to Usha, administered the oath to her husband JD.

Usha had clerked for Supreme Court justices Kavanaugh and John Roberts.

Her rise as second lady comes as Indian Americans have become more politically active during recent election cycles and have stood as candidates on the national stage, including several who ran for president in 2024, the Hill reported.

"My background is very different from JD's,” she said at the Republican National Convention in July.

“I grew up in San Diego, in a middle-class community with two loving parents, both immigrants from India, and a wonderful sister. That JD and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country."

Usha is Hindu, raised by Indian immigrant parents in California. Her husband credits her with helping him return to his faith.

Vance told the Megyn Kelly Show podcast in 2020: "If I maybe get a little bit too cocky or a little too proud, I just remind myself that she is way more accomplished than I am. People don't realise just how brilliant she is."

Usha and Vance met at Yale Law School while studying and later married in 2014 in Kentucky. The ceremony was blessed by a Hindu priest at a different event, according to a New York Times profile.

The Vances have three children: sons Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter named Mirabel.

After Vance was chosen as Trump's running mate, Usha's Hindu roots soon became the talk of the town. Vance has said on several occasions that his wife is not a Christian but was “very supportive” of deepening his faith.

Asked about the challenges of an interfaith marriage, Usha said, “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. And so I think the answer really is, we just talk a lot.”