JD Vance Under Fire After Saying He Wants Hindu Wife to Convert: Critics Slam 'Christian Supremacy' Rhetoric

US Vice President JD Vance has come under fire after publicly saying he hopes his wife, Usha Vance, who was raised in a Hindu household, will one day convert to Christianity.

The comments, made during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi, have been described as 'insensitive' and 'disrespectful' by many within the South Asian and interfaith communities.

Vance's words come at a time when the Trump administration has been criticised for promoting conservative Christian values and tougher immigration policies.

Indian Americans Call Vance's Comments 'Disrespectful'

Responding to a student's question about his faith, Vance shared that he hopes his wife will see the way he sees the Christian Gospel and their church.

According to the NY Times, among the sharpest critics were members of the Indian American community. For them, Vance's statements undermined his wife's personal beliefs and reflected an ongoing disregard for non-Christian faiths in American political life.

Suhag Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, said Vance's words suggested that Hinduism was 'not enough'.

'If you were any ordinary pastor, then whatever. But he's not the pastor in chief—he's the vice president wanting to be president', Shukla remarked.

Other Indian Americans echoed similar sentiments online, saying that such comments add 'fuel to the fire' for South Asians who already feel uneasy about the current political climate in the US. Concerns have been raised that comments like these reinforce stereotypes about religious conversion and exclusion, especially when directed at a woman of colour in a high-profile interfaith marriage.

Vance's Words on Converting Wife to Christianity: Is it Really Offensive?

In response, Vance took to X to defend himself. Replying to a post accusing him of 'throwing his wife's religion under the bus', Vance called the comment 'disgusting ' and full of 'anti-Christian bigotry'.

He clarified that his wife was the 'most amazing blessing' in his life, noting that she played a role in his spiritual journey.

Mrs. Vance has not publicly responded to her husband's remarks.

However, some Indian Americans have defended Vance, saying his comments were a personal expression of faith rather than an attack on Hinduism.

Rami Reddy Mutyala, chairman of Shri Mandir in San Diego, where Usha's parents occasionally attend, said 'we cannot force anybody' to convert to Hinduism, and adults like JD and his wife can decide whatever is good for them.

How Vance's Words Affect Interfaith Families

India itself has a long and sensitive history with religious conversion due to centuries of missionary activity, making Vance's comments particularly controversial.

While interfaith families are not uncommon in the United States, Vance's comments take on added weight due to this part in Trump's 'religious nationalism' in American politics and as Vice President.

Political scientists believe that while Vance's words may have been personal, they also nod to 'larger politics of anti-immigration, anti-migrant, and white Christian nationalist narratives'.