'Smart, ambitious and pragmatic': The story of Usha Vance, the low profile lawyer who could become the 'second lady'

Forced to abandon her characteristically low profile by her husband's national takeoff, Usha Chilukuri, better known as Usha Vance, surprised everyone with her speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC). Already at the podium in Milwaukee and before a packed auditorium, she highlighted her partner, reviewed her life story and concluded, "It's hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American dream." 

Although perhaps many voters visualized her in the actress Freida Pinto, who played her in the movie "Hillbilly Elegy," the truth is that her face was practically unknown throughout the country until, suddenly, she began to headline digital portals and the media. It turns out that, on the morning of July 15, Donald Trump announced that JD Vance would be his running mate for the November presidential election. 

Since then, Usha Vance began introducing herself to voters, whom she immediately won over with her life story, combined with her calm and collected tone. However, she also demonstrated that she knows when to go on the attack or, in this case, on the defensive. She recently defended her husband from Democratic attacks on past comments and called for focusing the political discussion on substance rather than noise. 

Who is Usha Vance? 

Named Usha Chilukuri, she was raised by her Indian parents in a San Diego, California suburb. She met her husband while attending Yale Law School, where she also participated in many extracurricular activities.

There, she served as a mainstay for her then-boyfriend, who was unaccustomed to the dynamics of an ivy league university. "In a place that always seemed a little foreign, Usha’s presence made me feel at home," Vance wrote in his autobiography. 

As reported by The New York Times, her childhood and teenage friends described her as a "leader" and a "bookworm," as well as "intelligent, ambitious and pragmatic." The two graduated in 2013 and married the following year in Kentucky, where a Hindu pundit blessed them in a separate ceremony.

As for her professional activity, she worked for a year as a law clerk to Judge Brett Kavanaugh, today a Supreme Court justice, when he was serving as an appeals court judge in Washington. Sometime later, she spent a year as an assistant to the chief justice of the country's highest court, John Roberts. 

From 2015 until last July 15, Vance worked as an associate at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson in its San Francisco and Washington offices.

"Usha has informed us she has decided to leave the firm. Usha has been an excellent lawyer and colleague, and we thank her for her years of work and wish her the best in her future career," the firm said.

As for her relationship with Vance, who learned to cook Indian food, they were always very close. The now vice presidential candidate wrote the following in his memoirs: "Even at my best, I’m a delayed explosion—I can be defused, but only with skill and precision. It’s not just that I’ve learned to control myself but that Usha has learned how to manage me."

The two live in Cincinnati, Ohio, where they raise their three young children, Ewan (7), Vivek (4) and Mirabel (2). The eldest made headlines before the convention because he was one of the stars of the call in which Trump confirmed to Vance that he would be his running mate.

"My son, who is seven, is in the hotel room with me. And he's really into Pokémon cards right now, he's going through a Pokémon phase..... he really likes it. (...) So he was trying to talk to me about Pikachu, and I was on the phone with Donald Trump, and I say, 'Son, shut the fuck up for 30 seconds about Pikachu. This is the most important call of my life. Please let me take this call,'" recalled the senator, who added that later the former president asked to speak to his son to tell him the news. 

Politically, it is known that Usha Vance had a past as a Democrat. As early as 2022, when her husband ran in the Republican primary for the Ohio Senate, she was listed on the Republican roll. 

She currently tries to keep a low profile. For example, she has no X account and rarely attends campaign events on the Trump-Vance ticket. 

"You guys are like my parents"

Dressed in blue described as "photogenic," Usha Vance took to the podium at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Among other things, she highlighted the role of immigrants in the United States, whose stories touch her closely. 

"Our message to all legal immigrants in this country is this: you are like my parents. You deserve the opportunity to secure a better life for your children in America. But our message to illegal immigrants is also this: we will return you to your country of origin," she said.