JD Vance has come under fire after expressing his hope that his wife might one day “see things” the way he does.
The Vice President made the comments at a memorial service for Charlie Kirk at the University of Mississippi in October. Criticism was particularly strong among commentators in India, who argued his remarks were defamatory toward his wife’s Hindu faith.
Noting that his wife grew up in a Hindu family—though reportedly not a “particularly religious one”—Vance was accused of insensitivity in “a political climate so charged against Indian immigrants,” according to CNN.
Some critics said he went beyond politics by issuing what they described as a “presidential call to convert.”
Commentary in The Hindu drew links between Vance’s statements and Christian-driven colonialism, suggesting the connection he made between faith and public order mirrored the “civilizational justification that fueled Europe’s conquest of the world.”
Chad Bauman, an expert in Hindu–Christian relations, said Vance’s comments reflected attitudes in a nation that “privileges Christianity over all other religions.”
Vance quickly defended himself, writing on X that the criticism resembled “anti-Christian bigotry,” while confirming that his wife is “not Christian” and has “no plans to convert.”
Still, he stood by his original sentiment, saying, “Like many people in an interfaith marriage… I hope she may one day see things as I do.”
“Regardless, I’ll continue to love and support her and talk to her about faith and life and everything else, because she’s my wife,” Vance concluded.