India key focus in Trump admin’s new public diplomacy strategy

India has emerged as a key focus in the Trump administration's evolving public diplomacy strategy, as the United States shifts attention to Asia and overhauls how it communicates abroad. Sarah Rogers, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Asia would be a principal area of focus, citing the need to counter information campaigns by China and other authoritarian governments. Rogers said she had tweeted extensively about Japan and India, where social media is highly popular.

Rogers outlined plans to modernise USAGM, which oversees Voice of America and other broadcasters, by expanding into short-form video, diaspora group chats, and podcasts, while maintaining traditional broadcasting where effective. She identified China, Russia, and Iran as principal adversaries, noting that Beijing alone spends an estimated $40 billion annually on propaganda. The strategy focuses on countries where independent media is restricted, including Asia, the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, and Cuba.

Democratic senators questioned whether cuts to US international broadcasting had weakened America's global reach. Rogers acknowledged the need for reform and pledged to stabilise the agency, strengthen leadership, and restore research capacity to measure reach and viewership. The hearing underscores Washington's growing emphasis on competing in the information domain alongside trade, technology, and defence.