Published 07:54 IST, January 20th 2025
Donald Trump Inauguration: India Representative EAM S Jaishankar Holds Bilateral Meets With Japan, Australia Counterparts
Representing India at Trump's inauguration in Washington, S Jaishankar is also holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Japan and Australia.

Washington: All eyes are on the United States as Donald Trump is all set to assume duties as the US President today and his inauguration is being attended by leaders from across the world. S Jaishankar, India's External Affairs Minister will be representing the country in Washington. While he is there for Trump's swearing-in, Jaishankar is also holding bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia and Japan.
Trump's Inauguration: S Jaishankar Holds Bilateral Meetings in Washington
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held meetings with his counterparts from Australia and Japan here during which they discussed bilateral issues and those pertaining to QUAD. An initiative of the Donald Trump administration in its first term, QUAD comprises Australia, India, Japan and the United States. The outgoing Joe Biden administration elevated it to the leadership level.
Trump's Special Focus on QUAD
A QUAD ministerial is expected to be the first order of business in terms of international meetings of Marco Rubio once he is confirmed by the US Congress and sworn in as the Secretary of State, which is reflective of the importance given to this grouping by the second term of the Trump administration. All three QUAD foreign ministers are here to attend the inauguration of Trump as the 47th president of the US on Monday.
Earlier, Vice President-elect JD Vance welcomed Chinese Vice President Han Zheng to the US for the inauguration. The two leaders discussed a range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade, and regional stability, a media release said.
"Delighted to meet FM @SenatorWong, a Quad colleague, in Washington DC today. As always, enjoyed our discussion on the state of the world," Jaishankar posted on X after meeting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. "Good to meet with FM Takeshi Iwaya of Japan. Reviewed the progress in our bilateral cooperation. Also discussed developments pertaining to Quad," he said in another post after his meeting with the Japanese foreign minister.
Donald Trump All Set To Become US President for Second Time: What It Means for India?
According to informed sources in the transition team, Rubio and President-elect Trump has made it a priority to take the India-US relationship to the next level. Rubio is keen to have his first bilateral with Jaishankar once he is confirmed as Secretary of State, the sources said. The meeting might happen within a few hours of Rubio arriving at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department. Rubio's Senate confirmation is expected on Monday evening, and he is likely to be sworn in as the top American diplomat soon.
As per a leading financial daily report, “Trump has also talked to advisers about a possible trip to India, according to people close to him.” According to familiar sources, a preliminary level of talks were initiated when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Washington DC around Christmas last month.
India is all set to host the QUAD Summit composed of leaders from Australia, Japan and the United States. The visit could happen as early as April or in the fall later this year. It is also being considered as a possibility that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be invited by Trump for a White House meeting this spring.
‘Will Fix Every Single Crisis’: Trump Ahead of Assuming Duties as US President
On the eve of his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump promised his supporters and countrymen that he will act at historic speed to fix every single crisis facing the United States. "Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed and strength and fix every single crisis facing our country. We have to do it," Trump told his supporters at the Capitol One Arena, which was full to its capacity of 20,000 for a "Make America Great" victory celebration, with a large number of people waiting outside in chilling cold.
"Before even taking office, you are already seeing results that nobody expected to see. Everyone is calling it the Trump effect. It's you. You're the effect," Trump said. "Since the election, the stock market has surged, while small business optimism has soared a record 41 points to a 39-year high. Bitcoin has shattered one record after another. Major investment company DMACC Properties has announced that it will invest between USD 20 billion and USD 40 billion in the US.
Trump, 78, made a stunning comeback when he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in last year's general election to become only the second person in US history to be sworn in as the president after a gap of four years. He will be replacing Joe Biden as the 47th president of the United States on Monday.
(Inputs from AP)
Updated 10:53 IST, January 20th 2025