Who Is Harmeet Dhillon? Indo-American Politician Offers 'Ardas' At US Republican Meet

Harmeet Dhillon offered Ardas, a Sikh prayer, in front of thousands of people including US Presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15. The former vice-chairperson of the California Republican Party addressed the audience recalling the recent assassination attempt on the former President saying, "I come from a family of Sikh immigrants and I'm honoured to share with you, my fellow Republicans and guests tonight, a prayer from my faith and tradition practised by over 25 million worldwide."

The Indo-American leader said in her speech, "These last 48 hours have been some of the most intense, yet most prayerful of our lives... We recite the Ardas prayer before any new endeavour, giving thanks to God and asking him for his protection and help uphold the values of humility, truth, courage, service and justice for all."

Who Is Harmeet Dhillon? Lawyer And Politician

Harmeet Dhillon was born in Chandigarh, India, and moved to the United States as a child. The 55-year-old grew up in Smithfield, North Carolina and attended Dartmouth College. She then pursued law from the University of Virginia School of Law. At both institutes, she garnered a reputation as a member of the college editorials.

Dhillon started her legal career as a clerk for Judge Paul Victor Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In 2008, she started her own law firm, Dhillon Law Group Inc. The conservative leader stepped into politics in 2008 when she unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the California Assembly. 

Dhillon served as the chair of the San Francisco Republican Party. She became a board member of the northern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union after the September 11 attacks, in connection with her work on discrimination against Sikhs and other South Asians, and stayed on the board for three years.

In 2013, Dhillon was chosen to be a member of the California Republican Party's Board, before she became a national committeeperson for the Republican National Committee in 2016. In early 2017, she was interviewed to be the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the United States Department of Justice. 

Dhillon served as the legal advisor for Donald Trump during the 2020 Presidential election. She made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic for reportedly opposing the stay-at-home and face mask orders. She filed numerous unsuccessful lawsuits calling for the re-opening of the economy and opposing the mail-in voting system.

Dhillon is also the co-chair of the political group Women for Trump. In January 2023, she contested to be the chairperson of the Republican National Committee but lost to Ronna McDaniel who garnered 111 votes against the former's 51.