Overview

• Sergio Gor was named ambassador-designate to India with a concurrent special envoy portfolio and will remain White House personnel chief until the Senate acts.
• The move comes as Washington escalates pressure on New Delhi, with tariffs on Indian goods set to double to 50% on August 27 and a planned U.S. trade mission recently canceled.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance publicly endorsed the nomination, calling Gor a strong representative for a key relationship.
• Gor, 38, is a longtime Trump ally credited with vetting nearly 4,000 administration hires, and coverage notes his limited foreign-policy background and past clash with Elon Musk.
• The ambassador post has been vacant since January, and the State Department’s senior South Asia role remains unfilled, underscoring capacity questions pending confirmation.