New York: Donald Trump has nominated 38-year-old Sergio Gor as the next United States Ambassador to India, also assigning him the role of Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs. The announcement was made by Trump on social media on Friday, describing Gor as a “great friend” who has “been at my side for many years.”
Gor, who currently serves as Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, will succeed Eric Garcetti, who served as US envoy to New Delhi from May 2023 until January 2025. The nomination comes at a sensitive time as Washington and New Delhi navigate strained ties following Trump’s recent decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian goods, a move that has sparked concerns in trade and diplomatic circles.
The nomination has drawn strong support from senior US officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Gor would be an “excellent representative of America” to such an important partner, while Vice President J.D. Vance called him a “fantastic ambassador.” Elbridge Colby, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, described Gor as “such a wise and trusted counselor” to take on a critical diplomatic assignment.
Who is he?
Gor has grown from a conservative political activist for Johm McCain in 2008 to become the head of the White House Presidential Personnel Office during Trump’s second term. “Before taking on the India assignment, Gor, a graduate from the George Washington University, vetted the hiring of 4,000 “America First Patriots across every Department of our Federal Government in record time”, Trump had said in his social media post on August 22.
When Musk called Gor a snake…
However, the announcement has also revived an old controversy. Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk had once branded Sergio Gor as “a snake,” according to a past social media exchange highlighted in media reports.