The decision bodes well for India as Gabbard could help smoothen the intelligence-sharing arrangements between the two countries.
Gabbard, a former Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, hails from Hawaii. She was first noticed in India in 2013 when, after being elected to the US Congress, she took oath on the Bhagavad Gita.
Gabbard, her parents or grandparents are not of Indian origin. Her mother, Carol Porter Gabbard, adopted the Hindu faith and Tulsi followed in her footsteps.
For Gabbard, the appointment is a sharp change of fortunes. She was elected to the US Congress as a Democrat, but left the party in October 2022 calling it an “elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness… racialising every issue and stoking anti-white racism”. She later joined the Republicans and endorsed Trump.
In 2015, she had spoken her mind and took on then US President Barack Obama saying “Islamist radicals are at war with the US and the Obama administration has refused to recognise the enemy”.
Today, Trump said, “Lieutenant Colonel Tulsi Gabbard has fought for the country for over two decades. She is now a proud Republican”.
After the 9/11 attacks, Gabbard enlisted in the Army National Guard, said Trump, adding that “she has served in Iraq and puts the country before the party and approaches every issue — domestic and foreign — based on ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people”.
Two days ago, Trump had announced Marco Rubio as the Secretary of State. Today, Rubio posted a statement on X, “I will work every day to carry out his (Trump’s) foreign policy agenda. We will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else.”
Rubio is from Florida and is seen as a friend of India. In July, when several statements were issued by the US expressing “disappointment” over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow, Rubio had moved an Act in the Senate seeking that India be treated like allies Japan, South Korea and NATO for sharing of technology.
The Act seeks a ban on Pakistan from getting US aid if it is found promoting, aiding and abetting any form of terrorism in India, especially Jammu and Kashmir.
Called the US-India Defence Cooperation Act, it also seeks exemption for New Delhi against sanctions for using Russian military equipment and aims to expand bilateral cooperation as India faces increased aggression from Beijing.
