US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday visited the ancient Amber Fort in Jaipur, accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Vance and their three children, Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel. The visit marked the beginning of the Vance family’s cultural tour in India, which also included Agra and the City Palace in Jaipur.
After their tour of the Amber Fort, Vance will give a crucial lecture on US-India relations at the Jaipur-based Rajasthan International Centre. As per the official schedule, the Vance family will take a short excursion to Agra before heading back to Jaipur on Wednesday to visit the City Palace.
#WATCH | Rajasthan: Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, along with Second Lady Usha Vance and their children welcomed at Jaipur’s Amber Fort. pic.twitter.com/bhFxFOLrHW
— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2025
#WATCH | Rajasthan: Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, along with Second Lady Usha Vance and their children at Jaipur’s Amber Fort. pic.twitter.com/1bdZtGzYgD
— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2025
PM Modi and JD Vance Have Top-Level Discussions in Delhi
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received US Vice President JD Vance for a major bilateral meeting at his official residence, 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi. The leaders had one-on-one and delegation-level talks aimed at deepening cooperation in energy, defence, and strategic technologies.
“They spoke about ongoing efforts towards strengthening cooperation in energy, defence, and strategic technologies between the two nations,” the official statement stated. The two sides also shared perspectives on major regional and global developments and concurred that “dialogue and diplomacy” is the path ahead.
Prime Minister Modi welcomed the Vance family to a formal dinner after the talks.
Vance’s First Official Visit to India Highlights Strategic Momentum
JD Vance arrived in India on Monday for his first official four-day visit. He landed at Delhi’s Palam Airbase with his family and was welcomed by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The visit is seen as a critical moment in the evolving India-US relationship, especially amid renewed talks of a potential trade agreement.
As reported by Reuters, the White House indicated that “Vance and Modi welcomed significant progress in bilateral trade talks,” reflecting the pace of economic cooperation despite recent tariff tensions. The visit follows just weeks after US President Donald Trump initiated and then suspended a broad tariff regime on 60 countries, including India.
Vance’s Vision: What It Means for India-US Relations
JD Vance’s next speech in Jaipur is likely to shed light on the intellectual foundations of the new American right and its implications for international affairs, especially for India.
As an outspoken figure in national conservatism and a critic of liberal internationalism, Vance has long been an opponent of free trade, mass immigration, and international engagements.
He believes in “traditional Catholic social teaching,” a move back to conservative principles, and has criticized liberal economic and social policies. He has also been critical of “unconstrained capitalism” and criticized US alliances in Europe, particularly against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
Within Trump’s second term, the first half-year, Vance has substantially determined the foreign policy and domestic affairs of the administration, corroborating his mounting influence within the domain of American politics. This act of connecting with India while traveling indicates the political turnaround towards strategic importance as well as enhanced ideological convergence among the globe’s two major democracies.
