Hours after her confirmation Wednesday, President Donald Trump’s newly minted Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his meeting with the President at the White House today.
In a post on X, Modi wrote, “Met USA’s Director of National Intelligence, @TulsiGabbard in Washington DC. Congratulated her on her confirmation. Discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship, of which she’s always been a strong votary.”
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Modi’s discussions with Gabbard focused on strengthening bilateral intelligence cooperation, with an emphasis on counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, emerging threats, and strategic intelligence sharing, according to a press release.
Earlier, after landing in the US, Modi arrived at the presidential guest house Blair House, across the road from the White amid chants “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Modi Modi” from a crowd of Indian diaspora.
“A warm reception in the winter chill. Despite the cold weather, the Indian diaspora in Washington DC has welcomed me with a very special welcome. My gratitude to them,” he posted on X.
Modi, coming to the U.S. for the first time since Trump’s reelection, said he looked forward to meeting Trump and strengthening the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
“Landed in Washington DC a short while ago. Looking forward to meeting @POTUS Donald Trump and building upon the India-USA Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Our nations will keep working closely for the benefit of our people and a better future for our planet,” Modi wrote on X.
Contrary to popular perception, Gabbard, the first Hindu American elected to US Congress, who took her oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita. has no direct connection to India.
Tulsi’s mother, Carol Porter Gabbard, grew up in a multicultural environment and developed an interest in Hinduism. She named her children Bhakti, Jai, Aryan, Tulsi, and Vrindavan. Tulsi herself follows Hinduism.
Because of her faith, many believed she had Indian ancestry. In 2012, she addressed this assumption directly, clarifying, “I am not of Indian origin,” in response to a message identifying her as an Indian-American.
Earlier, Senate voted to confirm Gabbard, a former Democrat turned Trump loyalist, to serve as DNI with Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell y the only member of his party to vote against Trump’s nominee. The vote was 52 to 48. No Democrats voted in support for the former lawmaker.
Gabbard has been one of Trump’s most contentious nominees because of her past remarks on foreign adversaries and concerns about whether she has the experience to do the job. But Republican senators — many of whom had expressed reservations about Gabbard as DNI — overwhelmingly backed her nomination.
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Gabbard will now oversee the work of the country’s 18 spy agencies – the same intelligence community that she has expressed skepticism of in the past. As DNI, she will also serve as Trump’s primary intelligence adviser.
Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, Gabbard has traversed from the left flank of her former party, backing Bernie Sanders for president in 2016, to endorsing Trump eight years later.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was established in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks to enhance intelligence sharing across the U.S. government.