Trump nominates Sergio Gor to be next US ambassador to India

US-India ties are strained after talks on lower tariff rates broke down over Delhi's refusal to open its vast agricultural and dairy sectors

FILE PHOTO: Director of White House Office of Presidential Personnel Sergio Gor poses on the red carpet during the 26th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, US, March 23, 2025. REUTERS

President Donald Trump said on Friday he would nominate Sergio Gor, one of his closest aides, to be the next U.S. ambassador to India, where he will oversee frosty relations that have worsened with the planned doubling of U.S. tariffs on goods from India next week.

Gor, who is currently the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, would also serve as a special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs, Trump said.

Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account that Gor would remain in his current position until he is confirmed for the India post by the US Senate.

"Sergio is a great friend, who has been at my side for many years. He worked on my Historic Presidential Campaigns, published my Best Selling Books, and ran one of the biggest Super PACs, which supported our Movement," Trump said, lauding Gor's work in hiring staff for his second term.

"For the most populous Region in the World, it is important that I have someone I can fully trust to deliver on my Agenda and help us, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump wrote.

US-India ties have been strained by Trump's trade war, with talks on lower tariff rates collapsing after India, the world's fifth-largest economy, resisted opening its vast agricultural and dairy sectors. Bilateral trade between the two countries is worth more than $190 billion each year.

Gor, in a posting on X, thanked Trump for the nomination and said it would be "the honor of my life" to represent the United States in the new role.

Trump first imposed additional tariffs of 25 percent on imports from India, then said they would double to 50 percent from Aug 27 as punishment for New Delhi's increased purchases of Russian oil. Trump has not imposed similar tariffs on goods from China, the biggest purchaser of Russian oil.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday accused India of "profiteering" in its sharply increased purchases of Russian oil during the war in Ukraine and said Washington viewed the situation as unacceptable.

Bessent told CNBC in an interview that Russian oil now accounted for 42 percent of India's total oil purchases, up from under 1 percent before the war, while China, the largest purchaser of Russian oil, had increased its share to 16% from 13%.

India is addressing its future trade relationship with the United States with a "very open mind", Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, while underscoring the consequential and important nature of the relationship to both countries.

Trump's announcement about Gor's nomination came shortly after the abrupt cancellation of a planned visit by US trade negotiators to New Delhi from Aug 25-29.