Vedant Patel

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vedant Patel

• Vedant Patel is an Indian-American government official who held the post of interim spokesperson of the United States Department of State on 8 March 2023 after Ned Price, the US State Department Spokesman, resigned from his post.

• When Vedant was two, his parents migrated to San Jose in California, United States from India in 1991.

• Vedant is well-versed in a few languages like Spanish, Gujarati, and English.

• In an interview, Vedant stated that Gujarati street food was one of his favourite foods.

• Vedant, in an interview, stated that after he graduated from the University of California, he developed an interest towards pursuing a career in the press and communication department and said,
  

  It’s certainly surreal, but I really enjoy working with the press and the media and have done a lot of communications and media relations roles over the course of my career. So it seemed like a good natural fit.” ^[3]The Print

• After Vedant completed his Bachelor of Science degree, he joined the United States House of Representatives as the deputy communications director to the American politician Mike Honda in December 2012. In November 2015, he was elevated to the post of communications director, and he served in that capacity till January 2017.

• In 2016, Vedant shifted from California to Washington D.C.

• In April 2017, Vedant was appointed as the regional press secretary at the Democratic National Committee, and he served there till August 2018.

• In August 2018, Vedant joined as the communications director to the American politician Pramila Jayapal; he served in that capacity till April 2019.

• In April 2019, Vedant held the post of primary states communications director for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. In addition to this, in February 2020, he took charge as the regional communications director for the campaign.

• U.S. President Joe Biden appointed Vedant as the assistant personal secretary to the politician Pramila Jayapal on 18 December 2020. The same month, Vedant held the post of the senior spokesperson for the 59th Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) and served there for two months till Janaury 2021.

• Vedant Patel played a crucial role in promoting Joe Biden’s presidential campaign during the 2020 United States presidential elections.

  

• In January 2021, Vedant held the post of the assistant press secretary for the 46th US President Joe Biden in The White House. After 17 months of working as a assistant press secretary, Vedant was elevated to the post of principal deputy spokesperson at the United States Department of State.

• After Vedant was appointed as the Assistant Press Secretary in January 2021, he became the third Indian-American to hold a position in the White House Communications and Press Department. The first Indian-American to hold a position in the White House Communications and Press Department was Priya Singh who worked as a press assistant from January 2009 to May 2010. The second person was Raj Shah who held the post of deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019.

• Vedant Patel became the first Indian-American to host a daily State Department news conference in September 2022 after Ned Price, the US State Department Spokesperson, was on a vacation; the conference was held at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the department. ^[4]The Indian Express The senior associate communications director of the White House Matt Hill tweeted about Vedant’s successful debut in holding a press conference and said,
  

  Representing the United States on the world stage is a huge responsibility, and Vedant did it with the utmost professionalism and clear communication.”