Usha Vance Steps into Spotlight as Second Lady Amid Trump Inauguration

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance prepare to take their oaths of office on Monday, Usha Vance, the soon-to-be second lady, is poised to join the national stage. The 38-year-old corporate litigator and mother of three will accompany her husband, JD Vance, as he assumes the vice presidency, marking a new chapter for the Vance family.

Usha Vance, born Usha Chilukuri in San Diego, California, is the daughter of Hindu Indian immigrants. Her father, an engineer and lecturer at San Diego State University, and her mother, a provost at the University of California, San Diego, instilled in her a strong academic foundation. She excelled at Yale Law School, where she met JD Vance, and later clerked for prominent conservative judges, including Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.

In JD Vance’s 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” he described his wife as his “spirit guide,” praising her intelligence and grace. The couple, who married in 2014, share three children: Ewan Blaine, 7, Vivek, 4, and Mirabel Rose, 3. Usha Vance, a former registered Democrat, has been a steadfast supporter of her husband’s political career, leaving her position at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson after his vice-presidential nomination.

While the role of second lady is largely ceremonial, Usha Vance is expected to continue offering unwavering support to her husband as he navigates the complexities of the vice presidency. The Vance family will soon relocate to the historic Number One Observatory Circle, the official residence of the vice president, located on the grounds of the United States Naval Observatory.

The inauguration ceremony, set to take place at noon ET on Monday, will be attended by the Vance family and other dignitaries. As the nation watches, Usha Vance’s journey from corporate litigator to second lady will undoubtedly draw significant attention, highlighting her unique background and the evolving role of political spouses in American public life.