‘Usha has no plans to convert’: JD Vance slams critics as he calls outrage ‘anti-Christian bigotry’

WASHINGTON, DC: Vice President JD Vance defended remarks he made earlier about his wife, Usha Vance, who is Hindu by faith. He clarified that she is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, dismissing the backlash against his comments as ‘anti-Christian bigotry’.

His earlier statement, in which he said he hoped that one day she would share his faith, sparked widespread criticism.

JD Vance hits back at backlash over wife’s religion

Vance, on Friday, October 31, defended his remarks about his wife Usha’s faith, saying she is "not a Christian and has no plans to convert," while rejecting criticism that he had "thrown her religion under the bus in public."

In a strongly worded post on X, Vance described the backlash against his comments as "disgusting" and accused his critics of "anti-Christian bigotry."

"What a disgusting comment, and it's hardly been the only one along these lines," Vance wrote, responding to social media users who accused him of disrespecting his wife's religion.

"First off, the question was from a person seemingly to my left, about my interfaith marriage. I'm a public figure, and people are curious, and I wasn't going to avoid the question.”

JD Vance reaffirms wife Usha won’t convert to Christianity

He added, "She is not a Christian and has no plans to convert, but like many people in an interfaith marriage, or any interfaith relationship, I hope she may one day see things as I do," he wrote.

"Regardless, I'll continue to love and support her and talk to her about faith and life and everything else, because she's my wife," he added.

"My wife, as I said at the TPUSA, is the most amazing blessing I have in my life. She herself encouraged me to reengage with my faith many years ago," Vance said.

"Yes, Christians have beliefs. And yes, those beliefs have many consequences, one of which is that we want to share them with other people. That is a completely normal thing, and anyone who's telling you otherwise has an agenda," he concluded.   

JD Vance faces backlash over comments on wife Usha’s faith

Vance’s post came in response to intense criticism over his recent remark at the Turning Point USA event, where he said he hoped his wife, Usha, might one day share his Christian faith.

His comments were made while noting that his wife attends church with him and their children, who are being raised in the Catholic faith, remarks that drew online backlash for appearing dismissive of her Hindu background.

"Most Sundays, she will come with me to church. Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that," he had said.

When asked whether he hoped his wife would eventually "come to Christ," Vance replied that faith was deeply personal and that differences in belief had never created conflict in their marriage.

"But if she doesn't, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn't cause a problem for me. That's something you work out with your friends, with your family, with the person that you love," he said.