Trump Will Appoint Personnel Chief Sergio Gor As Ambassador To India

Sergio Gor, who has played a critical role in deciding who does and doesn’t get jobs in President Donald Trump’s administration, is likely headed overseas for a plum diplomatic post.

Trump announced in a social media post on Friday afternoon that he was appointing Gor, who runs the Presidential Personnel Office, to serve as ambassador to India and as special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs.

“Sergio’s role as Director of Presidential Personnel has been essential to delivering on the unprecedented Mandate that we received from the American People,” Trump wrote. “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.”

The 38-year-old Gor, Trump added, would remain in his post until confirmed by the Senate.

In his role overseeing hiring across the administration, Gor endeared himself to the president and his family for adopting a zero tolerance policy toward job-seekers who had been critical of Trump in the past, often scouring their social media posts and occasionally intervening to block hirings.

But his aggressive approach also earned him some detractors. Notably, former special adviser Elon Musk slammed Gor as “a snake,” accusing him of convincing Trump to pull the nomination of a Musk confidant to serve as the next NASA administrator.

A person close to the White House, granted anonymity to discuss internal matters, said that Gor’s departure could increase the influence of Laura Loomer, the outside rabble-rouser whose sway with the president has led him to purge dozens of officials across the government.

Steve Bannon, the president’s former senior adviser during his first term, even suggested in a social media post that Loomer could be “on the short list” to fill Gor’s role in the White House.

Loomer was quick to post about the job on social media. "I wonder who the next PPO Director will be. I hope they are good at vetting,” she wrote in the second of three posts on X.

In a third post, Loomer wrote that she hoped “someone with impeccable loyalty to President Trump who is also excellent at VETTING is nominated for the position of PPO Director so we can protect President Trump from those who wish to undermine his agenda."

Loomer told POLITICO it would be an “honor” to serve in the administration if offered the position.

Sending Gor to Delhi, however, isn’t about any ruffled feathers or revamping the PPO, according to another person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to discuss the rationale behind the appointment.

“The president is sending a powerful signal to the Modi government by sending an envoy that is very personally close to him,” that person said, noting that the U.S.-India relationship has been strained by Trump’s imposition of a baseline tariff and additional penalties for continuing to purchase oil from Russia. “Sergio is a clear signal that the negotiations need to be serious and that all messages come from the president.”

India, for its part, is looking to diversify away from the U.S. by seeking a trade agreement with the European Union and rethinking its relationships with China and Russia. But given the strategic defense partnerships and commercial, technological and political relationships between the U.S. and India, there is an incentive on both sides to mend fences.

Bannon, in an interview, applauded Gor’s appointment, suggesting that his closeness to the president will serve both countries.

“I believe Sergio is the only person outside of [chief of staff] Susie [Wiles] and a handful of others who actually has walk-in privileges to the president at any time, day or night,” Bannon said. “If I'm [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi in India — and I say this as somebody that's so pro that relationship — I couldn't think of a better pick.

“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.”

Adam Wren contributed to this report.