US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday said President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy should not be misconstrued as “America alone” and was similar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to “India First”.
She expressed confidence that the partnership between India and the US would continue to grow. Gabbard, however, remained silent on Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy, which has left India’s export sector worried.
Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, Gabbard said she met her Indian counterparts and heard “directly from them about the very serious concerns that you have here of your own security interests”. She did not clarify what those “concerns” were.
Gabbard said there were also “opportunities from an intelligence-sharing standpoint” in the context of providing timely intelligence to both countries to help them take the best-informed decisions.
“From an intelligence-sharing standpoint, knowing that in our role, our ability is to make sure that we are providing the best timely and relevant intelligence reporting to our leadership so that they can make the best-informed decisions, but obviously strengthening our security partnership, our economic partnership that President Trump and Prime Minister Modi really laid out in their compact statement when PM Modi was in Washington,” she said.
During a meeting with Gabbard on Monday, defence minister Rajnath Singh is
said to have sought strong action against pro-Khalistani elements operating on American soil.
Drawing a parallel with Modi’s commitment to “India First”, Gabbard said: “Just as President Trump is committed to ‘America First’, putting the safety, security and freedom of the American people at the forefront of his policies and his decisions, Prime Minister Modi is committed to ‘India First’.”
“This is the expectation of any leader’s commitment to their people, to serve them, to put their interests at the forefront of their decisions. But this should not be misunderstood to mean that ‘America First’ is ‘America Alone’,” Gabbard said.
She expressed confidence that the partnership between India and the US would continue to grow and strengthen.
“Under the leadership of two great leaders and two great friends, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi, and rooted in our shared values of peace and freedom, security and prosperity, I’m confident that this partnership and friendship between our two nations and our leaders will continue to grow and strengthen,” she said.