India Gains Attention in Trump Administration’s Public Diplomacy Strategy
Washington — India is emerging as a focus of the Trump administration’s evolving public diplomacy strategy as the United States places greater emphasis on Asia and changes how it communicates with overseas audiences.
Sarah Rogers, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, told lawmakers that Asia would be one of the agency’s main priorities as Washington responds to expanding information campaigns by China and other authoritarian governments.
“Asia, huge focus,” Rogers told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while outlining her plans for the agency.
USAGM oversees Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters.
Rogers said much of her public outreach has focused on countries where social media plays an influential role in public debate.
“I’ve also tweeted a lot of content about Japan and some about India,” she said, describing them as countries where the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has a large audience.
Rogers said the agency should adapt its operations to changing media habits instead of relying mainly on traditional radio and television broadcasts.
If confirmed, she said, USAGM would expand its use of short-form video, podcasts, diaspora group chats and other forms of digital engagement, while continuing conventional broadcasting in places where it remains effective.
She also said U.S. international broadcasting should prioritize countries where access to independent information is limited. Rogers identified Asia, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan and Cuba as strategic areas of focus.
“My first priority will be to stabilize the agency, strengthen its leadership, modernize its operations, and restore research capacity so we can actually measure reach and viewership,” she said.
Her comments come as the United States seeks to compete with China not only in trade, technology and defense, but also in shaping global public opinion and countering foreign influence campaigns. (Source: IANS)
