EAM Jaishankar to represent India at Trump swearing-in ceremony on Jan 20
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will join a clutch of international leaders and captains of top technology companies at the swearing-in of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20 in Washington DC.
This is the first time an External Affairs Minister will be attending the inaugural of a US President. Jaishankar’s presence in DC on that day is indicative of the high importance with which India holds the Trump administration in particular, notwithstanding the anticipated hiccups over trade tariffs, H1-B visas and technology transfer.
Several world leaders to attend
- Besides India, Trump has invited several world leaders to the swearing-in. The Chinese delegation is likely to be led by either Vice-President Han Zheng or Foreign Minister Wang Yi
- Other notable attendees include Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, Argentinian President Javier Milei, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and Hungarian President Viktor Orban
During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet with representatives of the incoming Trump administration, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday. “On the invitation of the Trump-Vance (JD Vance) Inaugural Committee, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent the Government of India at the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of US.” Jaishankar will be looking to meet two vital Trump appointees — Secretary of State-elect Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser-elect Michael Waltz.
Rubio, a long-time votary of stronger US-India ties, had last year introduced the United States-India Defense Cooperation Act of 2024, which aims to enhance the military relationship between the two nations. Rubio has batted to treat India akin to a NATO ally in specific defence deals. His leadership could push forward technology sharing in the defence sector.
Michael Waltz, the NSA-elect, is co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. He will co-chair, along with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, the important US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), a collaborative framework for cooperation in technology. This includes joint efforts in fields like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors and advanced telecommunications technologies such as 6G.
Besides India, Trump has invited several world leaders to his swearing-in ceremony. The Chinese delegation is likely to be led by either Vice-President Han Zheng or Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Chinese President Xi-Jinping is said to have turned down Trump’s invite.
Other notable attendees include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentinian President Javier Milei, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and Hungarian President Viktor Orban. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and French far-right politician Eric Zemmour are also expected to attend.
The inauguration will also see a significant presence from the world of technology. Besides Elon Musk of X, a close Trump friend, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi are among the high-profile attendees.
