Current:Home > ScamsUsha Vance introduces RNC to husband JD Vance, who's still "the most interesting person" she's known -TruePath Finance
Usha Vance introduces RNC to husband JD Vance, who's still "the most interesting person" she's known
View
Date:2025-04-17 03:04:58
Usha Vance said that when she was first asked to introduce her husband, vice presidential nominee JD Vance, at the Republican National Convention, she was "at a loss." What could she add to the Ron Howard movie that had already been made about his life and his own bestselling memoir?
In her five-minute speech, she settled on giving the thousands attending the RNC and the millions watching the convention a glimpse of what he was like when she met him — before the VP nomination, the Ohio Senate seat, and before "Hillbilly Elegy."
The two met at Yale Law School when "he was fresh out of Ohio State, which he attended with the support of the GI Bill," Usha Vance said.
JD Vance served in the Marine Corps, enlisting in 2003 and serving until 2007. Usha Vance attended Yale for both her undergraduate and law degrees, and holds a master's degree in philosophy from Cambridge. She also clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and for Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court.
"We were friends first, because, I mean, who wouldn't want to be friends with JD? He was, then as now, the most interesting person I knew, a working-class guy who had overcome childhood traumas that I could barely fathom to end up at Yale Law School, a tough Marine who had served in Iraq, but whose idea of a good time was playing with puppies and watching the movie 'Babe,' Usha Vance said.
She recalled that he was also "the most determined person I knew," with an "overriding ambition to become a husband and a father."
Usha Vance's upbringing was far different from her husband's, she told the crowd. A San Diego native, she grew up in a stable, tight-knit family. Her father is an aerospace engineer and her mother is a provost at the University of California San Diego.
"That JD and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry is a testament to this great country," she said. "It is also a testament to JD, and it tells you something about who he is."
"When JD met me, he approached our differences with curiosity and enthusiasm," Usha Vance added. "He wanted to know everything about me, where I came from, what my life had been like." And she said that even though "he's a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, he adapted to my vegetarian diet," saying he had even learned to cook Indian food from her mother.
"The JD I knew then is the same JD you see today, except for that beard," she said, "and his goals in this new role are the same that he has pursued for our family: to keep people safe, to create opportunities to build a better life, and to solve problems with an open mind."
"It's safe to say that neither JD nor I expected to find (ourselves) in this position, but it's hard to imagine a more powerful example of the American Dream, a boy from Middletown, Ohio," she said.
Emily Hung contributed to this report.
veryGood! (46)
Related
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- How hard is fencing? We had a U.S. Olympian show us. Watch how it went
- Blaze Pizza franchisee hit with child labor violations in Nevada, fined over $277K
- Jimmy Carter, 99, Is Still Alive Despite Death Hoax
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Beaconcto Trading Center: The Importance of the US MSB License
- A whale flipped a fishing boat with people on board: Was it on purpose?
- How much is $1,000 a month worth? New study explores impact of basic income
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Scott Disick Shares Rare Photo of His and Kourtney Kardashian’s 14-Year-Old Son Mason
Ranking
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Retired and still paying a mortgage? You may want to reconsider
- House votes to form task force to investigate shooting at Trump rally, recommend legislative fixes
- Arkansas court orders state to count signatures collected by volunteers for abortion-rights measure
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- 19 Kids and Counting's Jana Duggar Reveals She's Moved Out of Family's House
- Member of an Arizona tribe is accused of starting a wildfire that destroyed 21 homes on reservation
- ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ is here to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Recommendation
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Body camera video focused national attention on an Illinois deputy’s fatal shooting of Sonya Massey
Will Russia be at Paris Olympics? These athletes will compete as neutrals
How Tori Spelling Feels About Her Last Conversation With Shannen Doherty
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
Why Tennis Star Jannik Sinner Is Dropping Out of 2024 Paris Olympics
Coco Gauff joins LeBron James as US flag bearers for opening ceremony
Coco Gauff joins LeBron James as US flag bearers for opening ceremony