WASHINGTON DC: Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has come to the defense of Sriram Krishnan, who was recently appointed as a senior policy advisor for Artificial Intelligence by President-elect Donald Trump. Khanna criticized those who have attacked Krishnan over his Indian heritage.

Khanna pointed out that the United States' ability to attract global talent is a testament to its "exceptionalism" and sets the country apart from rivals like China. He responded to a comment from an X user who wrote, “Did any of y’all vote for this Indian to run America?” by saying, “If you’re criticizing @sriramk for being born in India, you should criticize Musk for being born in South Africa or Jensen for being born in Taiwan."

Khanna’s post continued, “It’s fantastic that global talent chooses to come here instead of China, and that Sriram can reach such heights. That’s what American exceptionalism looks like.”

Sriram Krishnan, a 41-year-old technology expert, was recently appointed by President Trump as Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In a Truth Social post, Trump announced, “Sriram Krishnan will serve as Senior Policy Advisor for AI, working alongside David Sacks to ensure America’s continued leadership in AI. He will also help shape AI policy across the government, collaborating with the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology."

Krishnan expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, saying, "I'm honored to serve our country and work closely with @DavidSacks to maintain America's leadership in AI. Thank you, @realDonaldTrump, for this chance."

Before this role, Krishnan was a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and personally invested in several major companies, including SpaceX, Figma, and Scale.ai. He has also held leadership roles at Meta, Twitter/X, and Microsoft. Krishnan holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Information Technology from SRM Engineering College, Anna University.