The first Hindu elected to the US Congress, Tulsi Gabbard, met the president-elect Donald Trump to discuss terrorism, Syria and national security matters.

Gabbard belongs to the leftist wing of the Democratic Party on economic and social issues. But she is closer to Republican Trump's policies on waging a tough war on terror while avoiding foreign interventions.

Trump's press office described the meeting as one of those held to "gather ideas and speak with potential leaders being considered for positions inside the Trump-Pence Administration".

"The two leaders had a detailed conversation regarding the situation in the Middle East including the crisis in Syria and America's position in the world," Trump's press office said in a statement.

"They also discussed approaches to fix the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) and other veterans issues," the statement said.

Gabbard said after meeting Trump, "I saw firsthand the cost of war and the lives lost due to the interventionist warmongering policies our country has pursued for far too long.”

"It would lead to more death and suffering, exacerbate the refugee crisis, strengthen ISIS (Islamic State) and Al Qaeda, and bring us into a direct conflict with Russia which could result in a nuclear war," she said.

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Nandini