Tulsi Gabbard To Visit India As Part Of Strategic Indo-Pacific Tour, First High-Profile US Official Trip In Trump 2.0

In a significant diplomatic development, US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard is set to visit India as part of her ongoing Indo-Pacific tour, becoming the first senior official from President Donald Trump’s administration to do so, according to The New Indian Express.

Announcing the trip on social media platform X, Gabbard revealed her itinerary includes Japan, Thailand, and India, with a brief stopover in France before returning to Washington, DC.

Emphasising the importance of regional diplomacy, she stated the trip is aimed at “building strong relationships, understanding, and open lines of communication” to further President Trump’s objectives of peace, freedom, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

The visit follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official trip to the United States in February, during which he met Gabbard and described her as a “strong votary” of the India-US partnership.

In response, Gabbard said it was an “honour” to welcome PM Modi and expressed enthusiasm about “continuing to strengthen the US-India friendship.”

The first leg of her journey began in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Gabbard met with US intelligence community partners, officials at US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), and American military personnel participating in regional training exercises.

A former congresswoman and Army veteran, Gabbard represented Hawaii’s 2nd congressional district as a Democrat from 2013 to 2021, before joining the Republican Party in 2024. Her deep-rooted ties to the Indo-Pacific stem from her childhood in the region.

Gabbard’s India visit comes at a time of deepening defence and intelligence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington, signalling the Trump administration’s continued strategic focus on India as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific.