US Ambassador-Designate to Arrive in India Amid Strained Bilateral Relations

Visit comes at a time of trade tensions and efforts to reset India–US ties

PTI, NEW DELHI, JAN 7, 2025: US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor, known to be a key member of President Donald Trump’s inner circle, is set to arrive in India in the next few days amid an estrangement in ties between the two countries.

Gor, 38, was serving as the White House personnel director when President Trump named him in August as the next US envoy to New Delhi. The US ambassador-designate is set to arrive in India by Sunday, people familiar with the matter said.

As the US envoy, Gor’s main focus is likely to be on rebuilding the India–US ties between the two nations, which have been reeling under severe stress after Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to a whopping 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent additional duty for India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.

The key Trump aide was sworn in as the US ambassador to India in mid-November. The US Senate had confirmed his appointment in October.

“I’m trusting Sergio to help strengthen one of our country’s most important international relationships, and that’s the strategic partnership with India,” Trump had said after Gor’s oath ceremony.

Gor had described his new role as “an honour of a lifetime” and said he looks forward to “enhancing” the relationship between the US and India.

He played a major role in the political action committee (PAC) of Trump’s campaign in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, and his influence increased manifold after he was tasked with vetting political appointees in the new administration.

In January last year, the then US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, stepped down from the post, paving the way for the Trump administration to appoint its new envoy.

Gor had visited India for six days in October, days after his appointment was confirmed by the Senate. He had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during the visit.

India had described the US tariff action as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”. There have been efforts by both sides in the last couple of months to firm up a proposed trade deal, which could address India’s concerns over tariff.