As the child of Indian immigrants, a high-powered lawyer, and a one-time registered Democrat, Second Lady Usha Vance's transformation has definitely got heads turning.
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00:00As the child of Indian immigrants, a high-powered lawyer, and a one-time registered Democrat,
00:05Second Lady Usha Vance's transformation has definitely got heads turning.
00:09Rumor has it that Donald Trump used to give Usha Vance the ick. The story goes that in
00:13July 2024, an unidentified friend of Usha's told The Washington Post, Usha found the January
00:196th incursion on the Capitol and Trump's role in it to be deeply disturbing. That friend
00:23went on to explain,
00:24"...she was generally appalled by Trump, from the moment of his first election. Fast forward
00:28to 2024, and suddenly Usha was campaigning for the guy, as her husband ran to be his
00:32vice president, which confused those who knew her well."
00:35Speaking with The Cut, another pal of Usha's admitted,
00:37"...Initially, I thought, surely she can't be okay with this, and she's going to divorce
00:41J.D. in time. Then I saw her at the Republican National Convention and thought, could she
00:45actually be on board?"
00:46"...When I was asked to introduce my husband, J.D. Vance, to all of you, I was at a loss."
00:53So what's the actual tea? Well, Jay Shabria, a political strategist and friend of the Vance
00:59about-face up to a, quote, "...shift in views," much like the one her husband underwent.
01:03"...I'm a never-Trump guy. I never liked him."
01:06Shabria insisted to The Washington Post that,
01:08"...Usha fully supports Donald Trump and her husband, and will do whatever she can to ensure
01:12their victory this November."
01:14Usha Vance for Hillary Clinton? All Trump-ick aside, it's rumored that Usha was, in fact,
01:19smitten with Hillary, and, according to an unnamed friend, planned to vote for her in
01:24Clinton didn't return the favor when it came to Usha's husband's 2024 VP bid, and it wasn't
01:29a surprise to anyone.
01:30"...We're effectively run in this country, via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs,
01:35by a bunch of childless cat ladies."
01:37Clinton had a lot to say after J.D.'s tasteless, childless cat ladies remark, nailing him for,
01:42among other things, his views regarding raising a family and his statement that grandparents
01:47should be the childcare system in America, saying,
01:49"...he's just not in touch with what goes on in the lives and the working careers of
01:52the vast majority of Americans."
01:54"...It's almost impossible to understand his worldview. Where is he coming from? Where
02:00does he get these ideas?"
02:02While many women are choosing the childless cat lady life, Usha was both a mom of three
02:06and a corporate litigator in a high-profile law firm. Or, she was. Mere moments after
02:11J.D. was announced as Trump's running mate, she quit her job and dove headfirst into motherhood.
02:16The Vance's first child, a son named Ewan, was born in 2017. Fast forward to 2024, and
02:21the couple share three children, all under the age of eight years old. Usha famously
02:25discussed J.D.'s one overriding ambition in her speech at the 2024 RNC,
02:29"...to become a husband and a father, and to build the kind of tight-knit family that
02:34he had longed for as a child."
02:37Maybe so, but J.D. caught some major flack when, in 2024, he accidentally let slip that
02:42it's Usha who's ultimately tasked with rearing those kids, telling The New York Times,
02:45"...she's got three kids. Interesting way to put it."
02:48And that's not all. While discussing his conversion to Catholicism, J.D. admitted that Usha, who
02:52remains a practicing Hindu, was dealt a few surprises in the religion department, saying,
02:57"...like, you didn't sign up for a weekly churchgoer. I feel terrible for my wife because
03:01we go to church almost every Sunday, unless we're on the road."
03:04"...that's right, Jesus is king."
03:06Speaking of the Vance children, it appears that Usha has also somewhat relaxed her strict
03:10diet of healthy vegetarian and Indian food, at least as far as the kids are concerned.
03:14In July 2024, the Vance family stopped in at a Minnesota diner. The kids were slurping
03:18down chocolate milk while, in an act of total carbon consciousness, J.D. ordered 12 cinnamon
03:23rolls to go.
03:24"...Oh, those are big cinnamon rolls."
03:26The unlikely husband-wife duo grew up worlds apart in terms of diet, a topic that J.D.
03:30has never shied away from. In his controversial memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, he wrote,
03:34"...we rarely cook, even though it's cheaper and better for the body and soul."
03:38J.D. went on to explain that his early diet mostly consisted of trips through the drive-thru
03:42and heaping portions of Hamburger Helper. Those closest to the couple are well aware
03:46of their diet discrepancies. In fact, in a July 2024 New York Times piece, family friend
03:51Rod McDonald said,
03:52"...J.D.'s upbringing definitely exposed him to some of the worst food in the world, the
03:56most preservative-heavy food in the world. Usha certainly does not lean that way in her
03:59diet."
04:00New designer wardrobe, who dis? As it turns out, Usha Vance's personal opinions, voting
04:05habits, career aspirations, and diet aren't the only things that have changed. As J.D.
04:10was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 2024, a proud-looking Usha was fully decked
04:15out in a bubblegum-pink Oscar de la Renta belted coat dress with a scarf wrap, blush-colored
04:19knee-high boots, and a pair of large floral earrings. Later, while dancing the night away
04:24at the Commander-in-Chief Inaugural Ball, the newly-minted second lady dazzled in a
04:27strapless-rimmed Acra evening gown.
04:30According to an Instagram post from Acra, this stunning linear sapphire Desgradés gown
04:34features intricate paillette embroidery and a delicate chantilly lace underlay. Style-wise,
04:39Usha's made a huge change. Just over six months earlier, she'd appeared on Fox & Friends wearing
04:44an unassuming, muted brown sleeveless dress with a high neck. While it was certainly fluttering,
04:48it was most definitely off the rack without a paillette in sight.
04:51But how does Usha feel about the recent changes in pretty much everything about her life?
04:55Well, in that same interview with Fox & Friends, Usha let slip,
04:58"...I'm not raring to change anything about our lives right now."
05:01But she quickly, carefully, and oh-so-politically followed up her statement.
05:05"...but I really, you know, I believe in J.D. and I really love him. And so, we'll just
05:09sort of see what happens with our life. We're open."
05:12In the words of Fox & Friends' Lawrence B. Jones,
05:14"...you got an impressive resume. Some would say you should be running for the city yourself."
05:20Usha is most definitely a complex, interesting woman. We'll all be watching to see what's
05:24next.