On January 20, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of US President-elect Donald Trump, marking the start of his tenure as the 47th President of the United States. Jaishankar’s attendance follows an invitation from the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, as confirmed by a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release.
During his visit, Jaishankar is expected to meet with representatives of the incoming administration, as well as other dignitaries attending the event. The official event will occur two weeks after Trump’s electoral victory was formally certified by the US Congress on January 6.
On that day, a joint session of Congress finalized the certification of Trump’s victory with no objections raised by lawmakers. Trump secured 312 electoral votes, surpassing the 226 votes garnered by Kamala Harris. This certification marked the final procedural step before the inauguration ceremony.
Following the certification, the chamber erupted into a bipartisan standing ovation. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris oversaw the proceedings, ensuring that the process concluded smoothly within approximately 30 minutes. Several key lawmakers, including Senators Amy Klobuchar and Deb Fischer, and Representatives Bryan Steil and Joe Morelle, assisted in the tallying of votes. Additionally, Vice President-elect JD Vance was present during the certification.
