Trump participates in Diwali celebration at White House

US President Donald Trump celebrated Diwali at the Oval Office in the presence of prominent Indian-American members of his administration, entrepreneurs and top CEOs, including Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron Technology on Friday, November,6,2026. India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, entrepreneur Vishal Gondal, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, FBI Director Kash Patel, and US National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya were among those present at the celebrations.The celebrations began with President Trump lighting a diya in the Oval Office during an intimate gathering that included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Commissioner of Social Security Administration Arjun Mody.
The tradition of celebrating Diwali at the White House began with President George W. Bush in 2003. Previously, the ceremonies were primarily held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, attended by Indian American community members and Indian diplomats. In 2009, President Barack Obama became the first president to light a diya (lamp) at the White House during a ceremony in the East Room.Since then, lamp-lighting ceremonies have been held in various locations in the White House, including the Oval Office and the Roosevelt Room. Marking Diwali celebrations, Indian tech entrepreneur Vishal Gondal met United States President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, participating in a ceremonial diya-lighting and gifting him a copy of the Hanuman Chalisa.