As Vice President JD Vance‘s popularity surges in early 2028 Republican primary polling, his wife, Usha Vance, is offering a rare public glimpse into how she’s facing the growing speculation about a potential presidential run and making clear she’s not writing the next chapter just yet.
“I’m not plotting out next steps or really trying for anything after this,” she told Meghan McCain on Citizen McCain. “This is a four-year period where I have a set of responsibilities to my family, to myself, and obviously to the country, and that’s really what I’m focused on.”
Usha’s comments come from a recent McLaughlin and Associates poll that shows JD Vance leading the early 2028 GOP field with 36%, more than doubling Donald Trump Jr.’s 14%.
However, the second lady, a former Yale Law Journal editor and clerk to Chief Justice John Roberts, is actively resisting the urge to get ahead of the moment, even as America tries to race there.
Usha Vance is a Reluctant Public Figure
Three years ago, Usha Vance had no intention of becoming a political spouse. A practicing litigator and mother of three, she supported her husband’s senatorial ambitions from their home in Ohio. Then came the veep slot and, with it, a fast-moving life in Washington. Complete with Secret Service detail, official trips abroad, and dinner with world leaders.
According to The New York Times, she’s been both a model and a mystery in her new role. Sociologist Brad Wilcox told the outlet that she is “kind of an icon of the upsides of married motherhood in America today. ”
Drop a Heart 🤎, for the Incoming Second family! James D. Vance and Usha Vance. pic.twitter.com/8eI0ayvt5D
— ᴺᵉʷˢ Ivanka Trump 🇺🇸🦅 (@IvankaNews_) January 20, 2025
From childproofing the 9,000-square-foot vice presidential residence to launching a summer reading challenge on X, she’s embraced public life with quiet authority. But her mysterious behavior hides strong personal beliefs.
Friends say her move from liberal legal circles to the Trump-Vance orbit began in earnest during the 2018 Kavanaugh hearings, where she was reportedly outraged by the treatment of the now-Justice, her former boss.
JD Vance and Usha’s Interfaith Marriage, Ambitions, and Future
In her Citizen McCain interview, Usha opened up further about raising their children (Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel) in a Catholic-Hindu interfaith home. Though JD Vance converted to Catholicism after their first child was born, Usha made clear she hasn’t. Instead, they’ve prioritized dialogue and choice.
“The kids know that I’m not Catholic,” she mentioned. Usha Vance went on to say that even though they go to a Catholic school, she makes sure they’re fully exposed to and can access Hindu traditions and literature.
Today I visited the Taj Mahal with Usha and the kids.
It’s a beautiful historic site, and I’m grateful for the warm welcome we received there! pic.twitter.com/3FNnlNAKd2
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) April 23, 2025
As for JD, he’s stayed mum about 2028. When asked in April, he said: “If we do a good job, the politics take care of themselves.” For now, he says he’s too focused on the present to worry about three and a half years from now.
“When we get to that point, I’ll talk to the president, we’ll figure out what we want to do.”
Usha Vance’s method of work is efficient, just like that of her husband, VP to Donald Trump. The Free Press actually called her “the most impressive person in the job since Abigail Adams.” But when she talks to people who are interviewing her, she tells them that she dreams of returning to her law career and spending more time with her family in the future.
Still, as JD Vance’s star power rises, the spotlight will likely continue to follow her. Whether she’s ready or not.
