Former Yale Law School classmates of Usha Vance, the US Second Lady, are reportedly comparing notes on her transformation from ambitious student to political spouse via a private Signal group chat. Speaking to Vanity Fair, several ex-classmates pushed back on the notion that she has been "silenced" by her husband, Vice President JD Vance, arguing instead that she has been an active and influential force in shaping his political rise rather than a passive bystander.

At Yale, where the couple were nicknamed "Judusha", Usha was remembered as intensely driven and something of a "gold star chaser" who rarely revealed her political opinions. One former classmate credited her with building JD into a prominent figure, while another recalled her spotting "tremendous potential" in him early on. The couple's journey from law school to the heart of American politics has left former peers reassessing what they knew of her, especially since JD Vance was once a vocal Trump critic and is now one of his closest allies. The Vances welcomed their fourth child, Alec Neel Vance, on 19 July.