The President of the Basque Country embarks on a diplomatic mission to the United States to assess the impact of Trump’s policies on Basque interests.

• On his first official visit to the United States, Imanol Pradales aims to establish new political and economic alliances.
• He will visit IBM alongside Eider Mendoza, Deputy General of Gipuzkoa.
• The agenda also features a high-level meeting between the President of the Basque Country, Deputy General of Bizkaia Elixabete Etxanobe, and the leadership of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

The President of the Basque Country, Imanol Pradales, will undertake a series of high-level political engagements on his first official visit to the United States, set to unfold on Tuesday, 11 March. The visit includes two pivotal meetings with influential figures from both sides of the political spectrum — Democratic Congressman John Garamendi and Republican Senator James E. Risch, who also served as governor of Idaho from 2006 to 2007.

Garamendi, a seasoned legislator of Basque descent and a key figure in fostering Basque-American ties, brings extensive experience in facilitating cross-border collaboration between administrations and businesses.  Representing a California district, and a close ally of former Presidents Obama and Clinton, he is now serving his eighth consecutive term in the House of Representatives. Senator Risch is a prominent conservative representing Idaho — home to Boise’s historic Basque community. It is a tenure marked by his reputation as one of the Senate’s most conservative figures.

In both meetings, President Pradales aims to explore the implications of Donald Trump’s latest policies following his return to the White House, focusing on their potential impact on Basque economic interests and transatlantic business relations.

The visit begins on Monday, 10 March, with an afternoon reception for the Basque community in Washington, D.C. — a network characterised by an emerging generation of young professionals.

Before his political meetings on Tuesday, President Pradales will engage with Basque aerospace companies and BTI representatives, fostering an exchange of expertise on the aerospace industry’s dynamics across both regions. 

Midday brings a symbolic visit to the sapling of the Tree of Gernika, planted in 2016 within the Capitol’s Peace Park.The day will conclude with a thought-provoking roundtable discussion at George Washington University’s School of Media & Public Affairs with professors and students.

Centred on the theme "Democracy, transatlantic relations, and multilateralism: a European vision of the new international landscape," the dialogue will examine the shifting global order. Key topics will include geopolitics, trade and tariff policy, security, and the future of U.S.-Europe relations — all framed by a shared commitment to strengthening democracy and institutional resilience on the other side of the Atlantic.

New York Agenda

On Wednesday, 12 March, the President of the Basque Country, Imanol Pradales, will engage in a high-level meeting with the leadership of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. He will be joined by First Deputy President and Basque Minister for Culture and Linguistic Policy, Ibone Bengoetxea, and the Deputy General of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe. The meeting will focus on charting the museum’s future direction — tackling key priorities such as expanding its own collection, enhancing its global stature, and reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of the Basque cultural ecosystem.

Later that afternoon, President Pradales will meet with the Basque community in New York — a diverse and dynamic network encompassing long-established families, second and third-generation descendants, and a wave of newly arrived professionals carving out careers across a range of industries.

The visit will culminate on Thursday, 13 March, with a strategic meeting at IBM, where the President will be accompanied by Eider Mendoza, Deputy General of Gipuzkoa.  This visit highlights IBM’s pivotal partnership in advancing the BasQ strategy — an ambitious initiative led by the Basque Ministry of Science, Universities and Innovation alongside the Local Authorities of Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa. The strategy seeks to position the Basque Country as a global quantum hub, cultivating an ecosystem of research, talent and breakthroughs.

This bold positioning builds on years of top-tier quantum research, laying the groundwork for IBM’s selection of the Basque Country as a European quantum node.

Quantum mechanics, the science of the atomic and subatomic world (atoms, molecules, light, etc.), may operate on principles of uncertainty, probability and randomness, yet breakthroughs in this field has meant science has progressively unlocked the ability to predict, control, and, to some extent, navigate this universe. This is evident from the advancements in communications and computing to advancements in healthcare and industrial processes.