Usha Vance sees herself as a trusted advisor to her husband, US Vice President J.D. Vance, and is comfortable in the Republican world despite her shift from being a registered Democrat, the first Indian-American second lady has said in an interview.

Usha Vance told NBC News that she and her husband do not agree on every issue, but that disagreement allows for open-minded conversations.

She added she has not faced any “litmus test” over her views.

“I do really like to understand what’s going on in his world, what he’s really focused on, what concerns he has, because it’s a marriage. I want to be supportive of him, and if I don’t really know what’s going on, then I can’t do that,” she said.

She said her views can sometimes align with one side or the other and may be “idiosyncratic”, but she does not feel the need to fit into any specific mould.

“I never had to walk around pretending anything of any sort... It’s a world that I think is actually accepting of that,” she said.

Usha added that while the vice president has a full team of policy advisors, he turns to her when something is troubling him or when he wants to talk through something personal.

“I’m not his staffer. I’m not involved in this in any professional sense. There’s no expectation that we are going to see eye to eye on everything,” she said.

“The expectation is that we are going to be open-minded and have a conversation, and that I’ll provide meaningful input from the perspective of someone who loves him and wants him to succeed. Even if we don’t agree, it’s always very productive,” she added.

She also said a potential 2028 presidential campaign is not a priority in their conversations right now.

“JD is very focused on the midterm elections right now, on all the things that are happening at this moment,” she said, adding she may have a clearer sense of his plans in 2027.