Honour to welcome PM Modi back to U.S.: Intel chief Tulsi Gabbard

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, in Washington DC on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has said that it was an “honour” to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi back to the U.S. and look forward to strengthening the friendship between the countries.

Indian-American Ms. Gabbard met Mr. Modi hours after he landed in the U.S. on Wednesday (February 12, 2025) to have a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump.

“It was an honour to welcome India’s Prime Minister @narendramodi back to the United States, and look forward to continuing to strengthen the US-India friendship,” Gabbard posted on X.

After meeting Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Modi called her a “strong votary” of India-U.S. friendship.

“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,” Mr. Modi posted on X on Wednesday.

Discussions also focused on enhancing intelligence cooperation in counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and emerging threats.

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On Wednesday, Ms. Gabbard was sworn in as director of national intelligence in the Oval Office, hours after the Senate confirmed her, The Hill reported.

Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath of office to Ms. Gabbard, who Mr. Trump called “an American of extraordinary courage and patriotism.”

He noted that she was deployed three times in the Army National Guard and that she is a former Democratic congresswoman, riffing “Can you believe that?” Ms. Gabbard, 43, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, had faced bipartisan scepticism about her suitability for overseeing the spy agencies.

Ms. Gabbard thanked the President for his trust in her and vowed to “refocus our intelligence community” after she was sworn in.

“Unfortunately, the American people have very little trust in the intelligence community, largely because they’ve seen the weaponization and politicization of an entity that is supposed to be purely focused on ensuring our national security,” the new intelligence chief said.

The Senate confirmed her in a 52-48 vote, following two months of deliberations over whether Ms. Gabbard is qualified enough to lead the intelligence agencies and prepare Trump’s daily intelligence brief.