President-elect Donald Trump will officially take charge of the White House on January 20 and has already announced a flurry of appointments in the weeks since he won the presidential elections. Several Indian-Americans are among the top officials who will make up the Trump 2.0 administration. Most of them, like Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard, have been given crucial roles in the incoming administration.
Here's a look at some of the most likely candidates from the Indian-American community who could make it to Trump’s Cabinet:
Vivek Ramaswamy – Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate, emerged as a key ally of Trump after dropping out of the Republican race and endorsing the MAGA leader. Ramaswamy, a prominent critic of government bureaucracy, will lead the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) along with Elon Musk.
Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence
Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate, jumped ship to support Trump during his campaign. A military veteran with three deployments to West Asia and Africa, she has been vocal about her skepticism towards foreign military interventions. Gabbard is set to take on the role of Director of National Intelligence in the Trump 2.0 administration. Notably, she is a Hindu but does not have a direct connection to India.
Kash Patel – Director of the FBI
Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel, a former Republican House staffer with extensive experience in defense and intelligence is Trump’s choice for the director of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - the elite domestic law enforcement agency in US. Patel, a staunch Trump loyalist, has previously served as a Senior Director of the Counterterrorism Directorate at the National Security Council and as Chief of Staff to Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.
Harmeet K. Dhillon – Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights
Harmeet Dhillon, an Indian-American lawyer, has been nominated by Trump as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice. Dhillon, a prominent Republican figure and advocate for free speech, has had a distinguished career in litigation and constitutional law.
Usha Vance – Second Lady
Usha Vance is the wife of Vice President-elect JD Vance. Though she is not directly a part of the cabinet, she will be the first Indian-origin Second Lady of the United States after her husband is sworn-in. Raised in an upper-middle-class suburb of San Diego, she is a litigator with a strong academic background.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya – Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Kolkata-born professor of health policy at Stanford University, will be the new Director of the NIH.
Sriram Krishnan – Senior policy advisor on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Krishnan is the latest Indian-American picked by Trump to help shape the policy on AI. An Indian-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist and author, Krishnan began his career at Microsoft, where he was a founding member of Windows Azure, before moving on to significant roles at Facebook, Snap, and Twitter (now X).
