Former President Trump received thunderous applause and congratulations when he announced his selection of Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The announcement also thrust Usha Chirukuri Vance, the wife of an Ohio congressman, into the spotlight.
The Hill confirmed on Wednesday that Rep. Usha Vance will also be introducing her husband on stage at the convention and giving a highly-anticipated speech, marking her first time speaking since being tapped by Trump as his running mate.
Here are some things you should know about Usha Vance, a 38-year-old lawyer from San Diego.
She is the daughter of immigrants
Usha Vance is the daughter of academics Krish Chirukuri and Lakshmi Chirukuri, who were born in Andhra Pradesh, India, and emigrated to the United States.
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Her mother is a biologist and a dean at the University of California, San Diego, and her father is an engineer and a lecturer at the San Diego State University School of Engineering.
She was born in San Diego and attended Mount Carmel High School, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also graduated from Cambridge University in England. Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
She met J.D. Vance at Yale University.
JD and Usha Vance met at Yale University, where she earned her undergraduate and law degrees. She clerked for a year for future Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was an appeals court judge in Washington, D.C., and then clerked for a year for Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.
She had worked as a litigation attorney for several years at the law firm of Munger, Torres & Olson, which announced her departure on Monday.
In a statement, her law firm told The Hill, “Usha has informed us that she has decided to leave the firm. Usha has been an incredible attorney and colleague. We thank her for her many years of work and wish her all the best in her future career.”
She has been a source of support for Senator Vance
In an interview “Fox & Friends” Last month, Usha Vance made a rare appearance with her husband, reiterating her support for him as President Trump’s running mate.
Usha Vance, who normally stays out of the spotlight, was guarded when asked questions ranging from her faith to what she would do if she became second lady of the United States.
She added that “I’m not sure anyone could withstand the kind of scrutiny” that comes with the role of second lady.
“I think the first campaign he started was a shock. It was totally different to anything we’ve ever done before. But it was an adventure. So, in other words, I wouldn’t change a thing about our lives right now. But I really, really believe in JD and I really love him. So we’ll just see how it goes in our lives,” she added.
She believes that talking to each other has contributed to the success of their marriage.
In the same interview, Vance added that his wife supports his move to return to the Christian faith, but is not of the same religion as him.
“I was never baptized. I was raised Christian. I was never baptized, so I was baptized for the first time in 2018. She wasn’t raised Christian. [and] “She’s not actually a Christian, but I remember when I started to re-engage with my faith, she was very supportive,” he added.
She added that she grew up in a religious home with Hindu parents. Usha Vance spoke about blending the two faiths in one home, saying that “we have a lot in common” when it comes to family life and raising children. The couple have three children together: Ewan, Vivek and Mirabelle.
“So I think the real answer is that we talk a lot,” she added.
She is mentioned in Vance’s memoir.
Vance wrote about his then-girlfriend, now wife, in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which chronicled the beginning of their relationship; she was played by “Slumdog Millionaire” actress Freida Pinto in the film adaptation of the memoir.
“Usha was like a spiritual guide to me at Yale. She instinctively knew even the questions I should ask and always encouraged me to look for opportunities I didn’t know existed,” the Ohio senator wrote in his memoir..
Ohio Republicans also spoke out against Megyn KellyPodcasts of 2020 He benefits from receiving advice from “powerful female voices.”
“I’m one of those guys who really benefits from having a strong female voice on my left shoulder saying, ‘Don’t do that, do that,’ and that’s really important,” he said.
