The couple are also parents to Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and Mirabel, 4.
JD thanked the doctors and staff at Walter Reed Medical Center and the White House Medical Unit for caring for his family. He wrote that the medical teams had “been a blessing” and said the Vances were “deeply thankful for all they have done.”
According to Axios, Alec’s birth made JD the first sitting U.S. vice president in modern history to welcome a child while serving in office.
The last known vice president to have a child during his tenure was Schuyler Colfax, who served under President Ulysses S. Grant. His son, Schuyler Colfax III, was born in April 1870.
Usha’s effort to preserve everyday life
Usha has spoken repeatedly about her determination to remain connected to ordinary routines while serving as second lady.
During a June appearance on Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain, she described the pressure she feels to avoid becoming disconnected from life outside Washington.
“The pressure that I feel is how to reinsert myself in it at every possible turn, and actually just be a millennial person living in the world as opposed to some sort of, like, figure on television,” she said.
That effort includes going to the gym, stopping for coffee and completing routine errands despite the possibility of being recognized or photographed. She has also continued shopping at neighborhood stores and visiting Costco with her children.
For Usha, maintaining normalcy means continuing familiar family routines even as public office places every part of their lives under greater scrutiny.
Speaking to NBC’s Today on March 30, she acknowledged that her latest pregnancy was different from her earlier experiences because of her public role.
“There’s some differences obviously. I have to dress up a lot more,” she said with a laugh. “My last pregnancy there were a lot of sweatpants.”
Leaving a legal career for public life
Usha stepped away from her legal career after JD became Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024.
She described the transition as “really disorienting” but said the change gave her more time with her children. She has also stated that she plans to return to work in the future.
Before entering national political life, Usha was working as a lawyer and raising three children in a household that also included a dog. She has said that her wardrobe reflected her family’s outdoors-oriented lifestyle and that she did not enter politics with stylists or consultants.
Her path to Washington began in San Diego, where she was raised by Indian immigrant parents. Her father worked as a medical engineer and lectured at San Diego State University, while her mother was a molecular biologist.
Usha graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 2003 before earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University in 2007. She later completed a master’s degree in history at the University of Cambridge and returned to Yale for law school.
As the first Indian American second lady, Usha has said that older Indian Americans frequently tell her how proud they are to see her in the position. Although she recognizes the responsibility attached to that distinction, she has emphasized that her family’s objectives remain straightforward.
“Most of what we’re thinking about is just how to do the best job at large,” she said. “How to be good parents, how to represent the country in a way that we can be proud of.”
Privacy without leaving Washington behind
The Vances’ use of Wolver Hill Farm does not amount to a permanent departure from their official Washington home.
The Virginia property is owned by a firm led by Charles Kuhn, and the family’s formal residence remains at the Naval Observatory. The additional home instead gives Usha and the children another place to spend time away from the concentrated attention surrounding the vice presidency.
The arrangement reflects the priority Usha has described publicly: creating a greater sense of normalcy for her children while continuing to meet the demands of national office.
With four children, official responsibilities and an unprecedented level of public interest in their family, the Vances are attempting to preserve the ordinary routines that Usha has said matter most.
