Indian media outraged as US Vice President hopes his Hindu wife converts to Christianity

US Vice President JD Vance drew criticism from Indian media after expressing hope that his wife, Usha Vance, would one day convert to Christianity.

During a speech and interaction with students at the University of Mississippi, Vance shared that he is raising his children as Christians and that his wife accompanies him to church every Sunday.

“As I’ve told her and said publicly, and I’ll say again in front of 10,000 of my closest friends: Do I hope that she is eventually moved by the same thing that moved me in church? Yeah, I honestly do. Because I believe in the Christian gospel, and I hope my wife eventually sees it the same way,” he said.

He added that even if his wife chooses not to convert, it would be entirely her decision. “God says everybody has free will, so that doesn’t cause a problem for me,” he remarked.

According to Vance, his wife comes from a Hindu background, though her family is not very religious. He noted that both he and Usha once shared agnostic and atheist views before marriage.

Vance further explained that before getting married, the couple mutually decided how to raise their children and to respect each other’s religious beliefs.

Earlier, Usha Vance had revealed that JD Vance was once an atheist before converting to Catholicism.

The Indian media reacted sharply to his remarks. India Today ran the headline, “How JD Vance threw his Hindu wife, Usha, under the bus for electability.” Meanwhile, Times of India wrote, “‘Your wife is not agnostic, she is Hindu’: JD Vance slammed for hoping Usha Vance will convert to Christianity.”