US Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance are scheduled to visit India later in March. This comes amid looming tariff row between the two countries as the Donald Trump administration accused New Delhi of imposing exhorbitant duties on imports from Washington, DC.
Vance's visit to India was first reported by the Politico. This will be the US veep's second trip abroad after his European visit last month. In the first tour, he visited France and Germany. During the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, he called out European governments over free speech and illegal migration.
.@VP: "The average income it takes to buy a new house is nearly 2x the average salary of your typical American family... That’s just not acceptable or sustainable in the United States of America. We want Americans to be a will to afford the American Dream of homeownership." pic.twitter.com/EL8MPbo9Qe
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 10, 2025
With Vance turning against the European allies and the US threatening tariffs on neighbours Canada and Mexico, it is not clear how the vice-president's India visit would unravel. He had earlier pledged that the Trump administration would make it a priority to make the life of Americans better.
The upcoming visit will be also be significant with Vance's Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri coming to her ancestral homeland. While Vance's America First policy raises concerns for New Delhi, Usha's India heritage could be a win-win for soft diplomacy between the two nations. She is the first Indian-American Hindu Second Lady of the US.
However, Vance's agenda for the India visit is yet to be announced. Reports suggest that besides tariff talks, the two sides could also discuss defence and security ties.
During his visit to France last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vance to discuss issues of mutual interest on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit. Modi also shared coffee with the vice president and his wife Usha. The PM presented gifts to Vance's children, wish his son Vivek a happy birthday.
