J D Vance would make a great vice president for America, his Indian-American wife Usha Chilukuri Vance has said, as she introduced him at the Republican National Convention by giving an insight into their life, about him accepting her vegetarian diet and his ability to cook Indian food.
A Yale law graduate and a trial lawyer, Usha, 38, who has so far maintained a very low profile, acknowledged that she and her husband come from very different backgrounds - he, a white man from the rust belt, and she the daughter of Indian immigrants.
She said the fact that the pair of them are even together is a testament to the kind of country America is.
“He will make a great Vice President of the United States,” Usha said while introducing her 39-year-old husband on the third day of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.
Introducing Vance, a junior United States senator from Ohio, to their fellow Americans, Usha described the love and affection of her husband.
Usha, the mother of three kids, said she met Vance at Yale University.
“When I was asked to introduce my husband, J.D. Vance, to all of you, I was at a loss. It occurred to me that there was only one thing to do: to explain, from the heart, why I love and admire J.D., why I stand here beside him today, and why he will make a great Vice President of the United States,” she said.
“I met J D in law school when he was fresh out of Ohio State, which he attended with the support of the G.I. Bill. He was then, as now, the most interesting person I knew. A working-class guy who had overcome childhood traumas that I could barely fathom to end up at Yale Law School. A tough Marine who had served in Iraq, but whose idea of a good time was playing with puppies," Usha said.
In her short address, Usha mentioned her background. She said she grew up in San Diego, in a middle-class community to parents who emigrated from India.
Usha said J D Vance approached their differences with curiosity and enthusiasm. He wanted to know everything about where I came from, what my life has been like.”
“Although he's a meat and potatoes kind of guy, he adapted to my vegetarian diet and learned to cook food for my mother.”
