US Vice President JD Vance shared a personal story about his interfaith marriage with First Lady Usha Vance in a podcast by British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.
In the podcast, Vance said that when he told his mother that Usha was an Indian, she asked, “Which tribe?”
“She said, ‘What is she like ethnically?’ And I said, ‘Mom, she’s Indian’. And my mom says, ‘Which tribe?'” Vance said.
However, he clarified and said that his mother did not have ill intentions and was just unfamiliar with different cultures.
“So, they came from very different worlds, both Mom and Usha… But you know, my Mom said it just goes to show sometimes how little some of us knew about the world,” Vance added.
In the United States, the term “Indian” can refer either to people from India or to Native Americans (indigenous tribes), who were historically called “Red Indians”. Vance’s mother may have mistakenly thought he was talking about Native Americans.
The Vice President also said that although his mother, grandmother and wife came from different backgrounds, they are similar in their qualities.
He said that his biggest regret is that his late grandmother, whom he used to call “Mamaw”, could never meet Usha Vance.
“There’s something so similar about them, but so different. Like they’re both incredibly smart,” he said.
“Usha just doesn’t have a filter. It’s one of the things I was immediately attracted to about her is that even if she was going to offend you, she was going to say exactly what was on her mind… I think my grandmother would be fascinated by her,” he added.
Usha and Vance first met at Yale Law School and were married in Kentucky in 2014, with a Hindu priest presiding over a separate ceremony, according to the New York Times. The couple has three children together.
Usha Vance’s family originates from Vadluru, a village near Tanuku in the border region of Andhra Pradesh.
