Who is Harmeet Dhillon? Sikh Republican Faces Harassment for Offering ‘Ardas’ to Donald Trump

Harmeet Dhillon offered Ardas, a Sikh prayer, in front of thousands of people, including former US President Donald Trump, at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

The former vice chairwoman of the California Republican Party addressed the audience, reflecting on the recent assassination attempt on the former president. She said, “I come from a family of Sikh immigrants and I am honored to share with you, my Republican colleagues and guests tonight, a prayer that comes from my faith and tradition practiced by more than 25 million people around the world.”

“These past 48 hours have been among the most intense, yet prayerful, of our lives… We recite the Ardas prayer before any new undertaking, thanking God and asking for his protection and help to uphold the values ​​of humility, truth, courage, service and justice for all,” and we thanked “Waheguru.”

She described Trump’s Chardikala spirit as “the tireless, uplifting spirit that endures even in the face of violent adversity, like a founding father for centuries.”

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Dhillon served as Trump’s legal adviser during the 2020 presidential election. She is also co-chair of the political group Women for Trump.

Who is Harmeet Dhillon? Indian-American politician

Harmeet Dhillon was born to Sikh parents in Chandigarh, India, and moved to the United States as a child. Growing up in Smithfield, a rural town in North Carolina, she attended Dartmouth College and later studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Dhillon began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge Paul Victor Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In 2008, she founded her own law firm, Dhillon Law Group Inc. That same year, she ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the California Assembly.

She served as chairwoman of the San Francisco Republican Party and became a board member of the Northern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union after the September 11 attacks, focusing on discrimination against Sikhs and other South Asians. Dhillon remained on the board for three years.

In 2013, Dhillon joined the board of directors of the California Republican Party, later becoming a national committeewoman of the Republican National Committee in 2016. In early 2017, she was considered for the position of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Justice.

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Dhillon ran for Republican National Committee chair in January 2023, but lost to Ronna McDaniel.

After 9/11, as Republican lawmakers pushed for the Patriot Act, Dhillon wrote a series of legal briefs for the Sikh Coalition, working to protect the rights of turban-wearing Sikhs and prevent discriminatory profiling.