New Delhi: Vice President of the United States JD Vance says that his greatest regret is that his grandmother, whom he called Mamaw, never had the chance to meet his wife Usha.
“My biggest regret with Mamaw is that she never met Usha,” Vance said. “There’s something so similar about them, but also so different.”
He was speaking to British entrepreneur and podcaster Steven Bartlett on his show Diary of a CEO. Vance spoke about his family, personal life and regrets.
He recalled a question his mother once asked about Usha.
“She said, ‘What is she like ethnically?’ And I said, ‘Mom, she’s Indian.’ And my mom says, ‘Which tribe?’” Vance laughed, as he went on to say how unfamiliar his family was with cultures outside their own.
He added that despite coming from vastly different worlds, his mother and Usha ended up sharing a surprising connection.
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A rural upbringing
Vance was brought up in rural Appalachia. His 2016 book about his tumultuous upbringing, Hillbilly Elegy, was a bestseller. It was adapted into a film in 2020. Amy Adams played his mother and Glenn Close played his grandmother.
Vance said his grandmother and Usha shared a striking similarity: Their bluntness.
“Usha just doesn’t have a filter. It’s one of the things I was immediately attracted to. Even if she was going to offend you, she would say exactly what was on her mind,” he said. “They came from such different worlds. I’m sure my grandmother would have been fascinated by her.”
Vance and Usha met while studying at Yale Law School and got married in 2014. Vance shared in January this year that Usha and he are expecting their fourth child.
“Usha and the baby are doing well, and we are all looking forward to welcoming him in late July.”
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)