Vance hopes his wife embraces Christianity, sparking backlash

US Vice-President J.D. Vance provoked a broad backlash this week after he said he hoped his wife Usha Vance, who is of Indian heritage and was raised in a Hindu family, would eventually convert to his own Catholic faith.

- Amy Qin

“Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by in church?” he said during an event at the University of Mississippi on Oct 29, in response toa question from the audience. “Yeah, I honestly do wish that because | believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.”

The comments, made in front of thousands of students as part of a Turning Point USA event honouring slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, were widely reported by news media outlets and quickly criticised on social media.