33-year-old Indian American will replace Ned Price in the interim
Our Bureau
Washington
State Department spokesperson Ned Price is stepping down as the daily face of US foreign policy. The State Department said that Vedant Patel will be replaced in the interim by his deputy, Vedant Patel, until a successor is named.
“This month, Ned Price will step down as the State Department’s Spokesperson,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced. “Throughout more than 200 briefings he has since held, he’s treated journalists – as well as colleagues and everyone else he interacts with – with respect,” Blinken said in a statement.
Vedant Patel wrote on Twitter, “Always have been in awe of Ned Price. In awe of his unflappability, his big heart, his deep understanding of foreign policy, his fierce loyalty to the State Department and his team. Thankful to have spent time in the foxhole with him, and so glad he’s not going far!”
He further wrote, “Honored and humbled by the opportunity to join the State Department led by Antony Blinken and work with the incredibly talented and brilliant workforce of the Department.”
Indian-American Vedant Patel was born in Gujarat. Having graduated from the University of California, Riverside, and MBA from the University of Florida, Patel served as US President Joe Biden’s assistant press secretary and spokesperson before getting into the lead role as the US State Department’s main deputy spokesperson.
It was a historical moment when Vedant Patel became the first Indian-American to hold a daily US State Department news conference, The White House’s senior associate communications director, Matt Hill, tweeted after Vedant made an impressive debut at the podium in September last year: “Representing the United States on the world stage is a huge responsibility, and Vedant did it with the utmost professionalism and clear communication.”
