US President Donald Trump’s close ally and Republican Senator Steve Daines is likely to soon visit India, where he is expected to meet senior political leaders and ministers, HT has learnt. Daines has been a votary of a closer US-India partnership as New Delhi and Washington work to repair their strained relationship.
Daines’ visit comes as Sergio Gor, another close Trump aide, took charge as US Ambassador to India. It also occurs as New Delhi and Washington discuss a meeting between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Secretary of State Marco Rubio next month as both sides try to hammer out a trade agreement.
Senator Daines, a member of the Republican Party, sits on the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is seen as a trusted figure by both the White House and Indian diplomats.
“Daines has good contacts with all sides and is well respected. That’s where I would see the importance of his visit in that sense,” said a former senior official who has worked with Daines in the past.
“Daines led the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is an important position and shows the domestic political clout he carries. I would say anybody coming to India and who has good clout on all sides and especially with the Trump administration, is a welcome thing,” they added.
{{/usCountry}}“Daines led the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is an important position and shows the domestic political clout he carries. I would say anybody coming to India and who has good clout on all sides and especially with the Trump administration, is a welcome thing,” they added.
{{/usCountry}}Daines’ office did not respond to a mailed query from HT about his upcoming visit to India.
Persons aware of the matter stressed that while Daines may meet senior Indian leaders, including EAM Jaishankar and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, he is likely not visiting India as an envoy informally sent by the Trump administration. However, they remain hopeful that Daines can act as a strong voice in favour of the US-India relationship within the Republican Party and with the Trump administration at a time of strain in bilateral ties.
Daines met with Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra at India House on Wednesday, prior to his departure. The two discussed trade, technology and innovation, with Kwatra thanking Daines for his support for the bilateral relationship.
“My trips over to India remind me a lot of how China felt back when I was launching businesses there 20 years ago. I see so much potential, and then you see the incredible quality of innovation coming out, solving difficult problems. I’m really bullish on India’s long-term prospects,” Daines said in June last year.
Daines last visited India in November 2021, where he met with commerce minister Piyush Goyal and pushed for greater access to the Indian market for agricultural producers in Montana, Daines’ home state.
Earlier in 2025, a US congressional delegation led by Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera visited India amidst heightened political tensions between Washington and New Delhi over India’s oil trade with Russia and the Trump administration’s 50% tariff on Indian goods.