A new Vanity Fair profile casts Usha Vance as the architect of her husband’s political ascent.
The 5,500-word feature, published this month, describes Usha, 40, as JD’s “spirit guide to elite institutional life” since they met 16 years ago at Yale Law School.
“She built JD into this creation of the coastal Acela corridor,” an unnamed law school classmate told the magazine.
“It’s not an immigrant story; it’s a meritocracy story,” the classmate continued.
Usha “saw tremendous potential in JD,” the same classmate added.
The profile traces her role in his transformation from lawyer to senator to vice president.
When it comes to her romance with Vance, the 6-foot-2 inch US Marine was always her type.
“She does like a man who has a lot to say for himself,” according to a Yale publication cited by Vanity Fair.
“In the past, most of her liaisons have been tall, handsome, and conservative,” the Yale publication noted.
Vance did not sit for an interview with the magazine.
The piece instead draws on conversations with former classmates and the couple’s friends.
Her almost invisible public presence is deliberate.
“Like many ambitious spouses of powerful politicians, Usha has learned to operate in private,” the magazine wrote.
At Yale, they were a popular couple on campus.
They earned the nickname “Judusha,” a mash-up of JD, Usha, and “judicial.”
After graduation, Usha built her own legal career.
She clerked for Republican-appointed judges including Brett Kavanaugh on the DC Circuit and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
A classmate described her to the magazine as “the quintessential, ubiquitous Yale Law student whom I like to call a ‘gold star chaser.'”
“Usha took it to the next level,” the classmate said.
“I never understood why she was trying so hard,” the classmate added.
She left law firm life to become second lady.
Publicly, she sticks to issues that are both MAGA and mom-friendly.
She supports childhood literacy through her podcast, “Storytime with the Second Lady.”
She’s proven she can handle the spotlight when things don’t go to plan.
When President Trump appeared on her podcast last month to read “Presidents Play,” Usha was unfazed when he strayed from the text.
Her relationship with first lady Melania Trump is cordial, despite their differences.
The former model makes high-end fashion choices compared with Vance, who embraces off-the-rack affordable clothing.
During her pregnancy, Vance touted the $12 dress from Old Navy she wore in one podcast video.
Whether the White House becomes the next stop, friends advise people not to feel sorry for Usha.
“It’s patronizing to say that she’s been silenced,” they said.
“She has chosen this,” the friends added.
In the viral moment that preceded this profile, Usha Vance sat down with ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis in June for a wide-ranging interview. The second lady shared her thoughts about her husband’s political future and the biggest surprise she learned about President Trump. When asked whether she would like to see JD Vance as president one day, Usha Vance said, “I am not a particularly politically ambitious person; I would like to see him happy. I would like to see him making contributions that matter and whatever form that takes is a form that I’ll be supportive of.” She also told Davis that the biggest surprise to her has been Trump’s sense of humor and his gentleness toward children. “He has a really good sense of humor and has a sort of gentleness towards his children, towards other people’s families and children,” she said.
The vice president has a new book due out this spring about his religious faith.