Elisha Pulivarti
Sergio Gor, newly named US ambassador to India will have the distinction of dealing with as many as 13 countries in the Central and South Asia. Because, Gor will simultaneously work as an ambassador to India and the President Trump’s special envoy to the Central and South Asian regions.
The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs oversees US foreign policy and US relations with the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The American news website Politico quoted an anonymous “person familiar with the matter” as saying, “The president is sending a powerful signal to the Modi government by sending an envoy that is very personally close to him. Sergio is a clear signal that the negotiations need to be serious and that all messages come from the president.”
The same Politico report quoted Steve Bannon, Trump’s former senior adviser, as saying that Gor has “walk-in privileges to the president”. “Does he have a deep knowledge base of the Indian policy issues? He doesn’t, but this guy’s a quick study. He not just has access to the president…but he has a unique trust. The president trusts this guy, that he’s dealing with him straight,” Bannon said.
Trump nominates Sergio Gor: US President Donald Trump has chosen Sergio Gor, head of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, as his pick for ambassador to India.
Gor, 38, is considered very close to Trump, and his nomination comes at a time New Delhi’s ties with the US are facing unprecedented stress. The Joe Biden-era ambassador, Eric Garcetti, left India in January, and the post has been vacant for almost eight months now.
Gor has been associated with Trump for a long time, in various capacities. In his current role, he has been known for strictly vetting Presidential appointees for loyalty to Trump. He was famously called a “snake” by Elon Musk after the man the SpaceX founder was pushing as NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, lost out on the job because of a file Gor had put together, showing the details of Isaacman’s donations to Democrats.
Before this, Gor ran a political action committee supporting Trump ahead of the 2024 elections. He has also worked closely with Donald Trump Jr, the President’s eldest son. Trump Jr. and Gor in October 2021 founded Winning Team Publishing, a conservative publishing house, which published several books about Trump.
Gor’s influence benefits India
As Sergio Gor is very close to President Trump and his family, India should benefit out of it. We can present actual situation in the region in which he represents the US, Indian authorities can convince Gor of the need to forge strong relations between the US and India. Even on trade and business matters, especially for the benefit of SMEs, India can make efforts to see that trade ties are improved, to the advantage of both the countries. Congratulations and best wishes to Sergio Gor!
(Elisha Pulivarti is CEO of US India SME Council, based out of Washington DC, US)
