ISTANBUL

US Vice President JD Vance has stirred controversy in India and among the nation’s global diaspora after expressing hope that his Hindu wife, Usha Vance, might one day be moved “by the Christian Gospel.”

CNN reported Friday that speaking at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi on Oct. 30, Vance said his wife “grew up in a Hindu family but not in a particularly religious family,” adding: “I honestly do wish that because I believe in the Christian Gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.”

The comments prompted debates about religious freedom, colonial-era sensitivities, and the politics of conversion.

Critics in India described the remarks as “denigrating,” with New Delhi resident Kush Mehta telling CNN: “It’s ridiculous and absolutely wrong.”

CNN-News18 editor Shubhangi Sharma framed the episode as “a presidential call to convert,” while The Hindu’s Areena Arora wrote that Vance’s stance “ceases to be personal” when voiced by an elected leader.

'I’m not intending to convert or anything like that'

Amid mounting criticism, Vance defended himself in a now-deleted exchange on the US social media platform X, writing that the backlash “reeked of anti-Christian bigotry” and clarifying: “She is not Christian and has no plans to convert … Regardless, I’ll continue to love and support her.”

CNN noted that Usha Vance, interviewed this June, said, “I’m not Catholic and I’m not intending to convert or anything like that,” while emphasizing that their children are exposed to both Catholic teachings and Hindu traditions.

The uproar lands as Vance emerges as a potential 2028 presidential contender, following President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that he is “most likely” to inherit the MAGA movement. Critics such as Mumbai writer Ram Puniyani told CNN the episode underscores “rigid” shifts in US political attitudes toward religion.

Some public figures urged restraint. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna wrote on X, “Attack on the policies. Leave his family out of it,” while right-leaning political commentator Meghan McCain – daughter of the late Sen. John McCain – called the second lady a “huge asset” and her “favorite person in the Trump administration.”