During her rise through America's most prestigious schools, law firms and judicial clerkships, Usha Vance rarely " if ever " volunteered her opinions on the nation's bitterly partisan politics to friends and colleagues. But she did express revulsion at former president Donald Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021. Vance told friends she was outraged by Trump's incitement of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol and lamented the social breakdown that fueled his political support, according to one friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations.