Envoy Sergio Gor, key Trump aide, assumes charge

US President Donald Trump’s trusted aide, Sergio Gor, confirmed by the US Senate as Ambassador to India on Tuesday, has arrived in India at a time when India-US relations face their most serious crisis in two decades, triggered by Trump-imposed tariffs on New Delhi.

Gor will fill the vacancy in New Delhi since January, when US Ambassador Eric Garcetti was recalled after Trump assumed office in Washington DC.

Gor will not only serve as the US Ambassador to India but will also take on the role of Special Envoy for South and Central Asia — the first time these roles have been combined.

This dual role gives him a greatly expanded mandate, extending US authority in the region well beyond usual bilateral relations.

A veteran of Trump’s presidential campaigns, Gor is an ardent supporter of the “America First” agenda, which prioritises jobs and industry in the US. In his current role as Director of Presidential Personnel, Gor has hired nearly 4,000 people across federal departments as part of this agenda.

Last month, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington DC, Gor outlined his ambitions for the US-India partnership, including cooperation in defence, technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals. He also set a goal of making the US India’s top energy supplier in crude oil and natural gas.

Gor’s priorities will include boosting defence cooperation, ensuring fair and beneficial trade, deepening energy security and advancing technological collaboration. However, Trump’s move to impose a hefty $1,00,000 fee for H-1B work visas could prove a major test for ties. Critics say the fee would restrict Indian professionals’ entry to the US, impact the IT sector, affect students and cast a shadow over the Quad alliance.

A central aspect of Gor’s appointment is his dual role as Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, covering a wide region, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

In this role, Gor will have a supervisory and coordinating function over other US ambassadors and missions in the region, centralising US policy and creating a single point of contact for implementing Trump’s agenda. He will serve as the primary adviser to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump on South and Central Asia affairs, with direct access to senior levels of the US government, including the National Security Council, enabling rapid policy decisions and crisis response.

The US Senate voted 51-47 on Tuesday to approve 107 Trump appointments, including Gor’s to India. Although Gor’s appointment as Ambassador was announced on August 23, it required ratification by the Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Republican James Risch, and then the Senate vote.

Meanwhile, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) congratulated Gor and S Paul Kapur, of Indian origin, whose appointment as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs was also approved by the Senate.

Mukesh Aghi, USISPF President and CEO, said, “Gor’s confirmation is a signal to New Delhi that the US-India relationship is a top priority for the administration. Through the right diplomatic channels, we can iron out creases and reach consensus.”