Who is Usha Chilukuri Vance, the soon-to-be second lady of the US?

Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, is set to become the first Indian-origin Second Lady of the United States. Her roots trace back to India's Andhra Pradesh. Born and raised in suburban San Diego, Usha's ancestral village has been praying for improvements to their land, hoping her historic position will bring positive changes.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, waves as his wife Usha Vance looks on at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP)

A highly accomplished lawyer and the child of Indian immigrants, Usha Vance is known for her academic success. Her husband, J.D. Vance, is the Vice Presidential candidate in Trump's election campaign.

During a rally, Donald Trump praised JD Vance and his wife, saying, "I want to be the first to congratulate – now I can say Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. And his remarkable and beautiful wife, Usha Vance." Trump also described Vance as a "feisty guy," with both J.D. and Usha present alongside Trump’s wife, Melania, on stage.

Ancestral roots: Usha Vance hails from Vadluru, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India. Her family moved abroad over 50 years ago and has since contributed to the village by donating land for temples like the Sai Baba, Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, and Goddess Bala Seeta temples, which were built for the village's welfare.

Prayers for Vance’s success: Villagers in Vadluru have offered prayers for JD Vance's success in the election, hoping his victory will bring pride to the village and strengthen the relationship between India and the United States.

Family ties to the village: Although Usha has never visited the village, her father, Chilukuri Radhakrishnan, visited around three years ago to check on the condition of the temples.

Usha Vance's background: Usha Vance, a Yale Law School graduate, is set to become the first non-white Second Lady of the United States if Donald Trump wins re-election. Usha met her husband, J.D. Vance, at Yale Law School, and the couple married in 2014. They have three children together.

Immigrant heritage: Usha Vance’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1986. She was born in San Diego and raised in an upper-middle-class suburb. Usha's great-grandfather left Vadluru, and her father was raised in Chennai before pursuing further education in the U.S. Usha Vance’s story is representative of the growing Indian-American community, with the U.S. census showing that Indians are the country’s second-largest Asian ethnic group, having grown by 50% to 4.8 million people from 2010 to 2020.

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