"if I don't really know what's going on, then I can't do that."
Second Lady Usha Vance shared fresh insights into her marriage, revealing she doesn’t always “see eye to eye” on issues with her husband.
The 40-year-old described how she navigates disagreements with her husband, Vice President JD Vance, while maintaining her independence.
Usha, who was a registered Democrat until 2014, said open communication remains central to their relationship.
In an interview with NBC News, Usha said:
“There are conversations all the time.
“I do really like to understand what’s going on in his world, what he’s really focused on, what concerns he has, because it’s a marriage.
“I want to be supportive of him, and if I don’t really know what’s going on, then I can’t do that.”
She made clear that her role is not political, despite her proximity to power:
“I’m not his staffer. I’m not involved in this in any professional sense. There’s no expectation that we are going to see eye to eye on everything.
“The expectation is that we are going to be open-minded and have a conversation, and that I’ll provide meaningful input from, you know, the perspective of someone who loves him and wants him to succeed.
“So even if we don’t agree, it’s – I think it’s always very productive.”
Some disagreements may stem from her earlier political views, but Usha Vance said she has never felt pressured to abandon them.
She explained: “I do feel very comfortable in that no one has ever asked me to engage in any kind of litmus test on anything.
“And what I’ve found is that I was myself in 2014. I can be myself today. And I feel very comfortable in that world.
“I don’t feel like I have to walk around pretending anything of any sort. I didn’t think I had to do that [in 2014], actually.
“Sometimes I have thoughts that fit very comfortably into one side or another. Sometimes I have views that are way more idiosyncratic.
“And it’s a world that I think is actually rather accepting of that, since everyone knows that I really care greatly about JD’s success.”
Despite growing speculation about a potential White House bid in 2028, Usha said future political ambitions are not dominating conversations at home.
She said: “JD is very focused on the midterm elections right now, on all the things that are happening right this moment, which are obviously exceedingly important.
“And so if you come back in 2027 and ask me, I’ll have a better sense of, you know, what he’s thinking in that way.”
“But that’s not the priority in our conversations.”
Usha Vance made history by becoming the first Hindu Second Lady but she does not feel weighed down by it.
She added: “Everything about this is so novel that this is just one element of the novelty, in many ways.”
Usha also announced a new podcast focused on improving children’s reading habits.
The podcast, titled Storytime With the Second Lady, will feature public figures including Danica Patrick reading short stories and discussing their themes in 15-minute episodes aimed at young audiences.
Usha noted concerns over declining literacy rates:
“If I was going to do anything, this would be the thing to focus on at this moment in time.”
The initiative builds on her previous efforts to promote reading among children.
In 2025, she backed the ‘Summer Reading Challenge’, which encouraged children to read 12 books during the school holidays in exchange for a certificate and prize.
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