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Sergio Gor

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Sergio Gor
Official portrait of Sergio Gor
Official portrait, 2025
26th United States Ambassador to India
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 14, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byEric Garcetti
United States Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 22, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byPosition established
Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office
In office
January 20, 2025 – October 13, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyTrent Morse
Preceded byGautam Raghavan
Succeeded byDan Scavino
Personal details
BornSergei Gorokhovsky
(1986-11-30) November 30, 1986
Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
PartyRepublican
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)

Sergio Gor (born Sergei Gorokhovsky, Russian: Сергей Гороховский; November 30, 1986) is an American businessman and political operative who has served as the United States ambassador to India since 2026. Gor has additionally served as the United States special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs since August 2025. He was previously the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office from January to October 2025.

Gor graduated from George Washington University, where he was involved in conservative causes, participating in College Republicans and founding the university's chapter of Young America's Foundation. He was an activist for Arizona senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign and worked for the Republican National Committee, later serving as the spokesman for representatives Steve King, Michele Bachmann, and Randy Forbes. In May 2013, Gor began working for Kentucky senator Rand Paul's political action committee, RANDPAC, eventually serving as Paul's spokesman, communications director, and deputy chief of staff.

In June 2020, Gor left Paul's office to serve as the chief of staff of the Trump Victory Finance Committee. The following month, he began working for Donald Trump Jr. as his consultant and book publishing manager. Trump Jr. and Gor founded Winning Team Publishing, a conservative publishing house, in October 2021; the company published several books about Trump Jr.'s father, Donald Trump, including Our Journey Together (2021), Letters to Trump (2023), and Save America (2024). Gor was a senior advisor to MAGA Inc. and led a political action committee, Right for America, for Trump. In November 2024, Trump named Gor as his director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.

In August 2025, Trump named Gor as his nominee for United States ambassador to India and as his special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs. The Senate voted to confirm Gor in October.

Early life and education (1986–2008)

Sergei Gorokhovsky[1] was born on November 30, 1986, in Tashkent, then in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.[2] Gor told The New York Times that his family had moved to Malta when he was two or three, when his first name was changed to Sergio.[2] His mother established a business in Malta.[2] He was raised in Cospicua[3] and attended De La Salle College, a Catholic boys' school, from 1996 to 1999.[2] The Gorokhovskys emigrated from Cospicua in 1999.[4] He attended high school in Los Angeles and graduated from George Washington University. According to The Dispatch, Gorokhovsky enrolled in university using his full surname, but later shortened it to Gor.[5] At George Washington, Gor participated in College Republicans and founded the university's chapter of Young America's Foundation.[6] Gor became a U.S. citizen in 2004.[2]

Career

Early political activities (2008–2020)

Ahead of the 2008 United States presidential election, Gor supported Arizona senator John McCain's presidential campaign, advocating for McCain through a group for Catholics.[4] To garner attention for Illinois senator Barack Obama's support for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now,[7] he wore a squirrel costume to public events.[5] Gor worked for the Republican National Committee.[5]

By June 2010, Gor was working as Iowa representative Steve King's spokesman[8] and as Minnesota representative Michele Bachmann's spokesman by August.[9] For five months, he shared responsibilities for both King and Bachmann.[10] Gor resigned from Bachmann's campaign in February 2011[11] and began serving as Virginia representative Randy Forbes's communications director by June 2012.[12] That year, he was a booker for Neil Cavuto, a Fox News host.[13]

In May 2013, Gor became the communications director for RANDPAC, the political action committee for Kentucky senator Rand Paul.[14] By December 2014, Gor was serving as Paul's spokesman;[15] the following month, he was his communications director.[16] Internal strife between Rand aides and Gor contributed to failings in Paul's 2016 presidential campaign, according to BuzzFeed News; in one incident, Gor purportedly decided that Paul should appear with an eagle and tasked staffers with finding one.[17] By May 2018, Gor was serving as Paul's deputy chief of staff.[18]

Trump campaign work and Winning Team Publishing (2020–2024)

In June 2020, Gor left Paul's office to serve as the chief of staff of the Trump Victory Finance Committee.[19] The following month, he began working for Donald Trump Jr. as his consultant and book publishing manager for Liberal Privilege (2020).[20] Gor is an amateur DJ in the West Palm Beach, Florida, area;[21] he was the officiant and DJ for the wedding of Matt Gaetz and Ginger Luckey[22] and the emcee and DJ for Kimberly Guilfoyle's birthday at Mar-a-Lago.[23] Owing to his presence at the club, he earned the nickname the "Mayor of Mar-a-Lago"; for soliciting super PAC funds from club members, he was also known as the "Patio Panhandler".[21] In October 2021, Trump Jr. and Gor incorporated Winning Team Publishing, a conservative publishing house.[24] They announced Our Journey Together (2021), a coffee table book, the following month.[25] The company later published Letters to Trump (2023)[26] and Save America (2024).[27] In September 2022, MAGA Inc. hired Gor as a senior advisor.[28] In February 2024, The New York Times reported that Gor had been named to lead a political action committee, Right for America, for Trump.[29]

Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office (January–October 2025)

On November 13, 2024, Semafor reported that President-elect Donald Trump had named Gor as his director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office;[30] Trump officially named Gor two days later.[31] Susie Wiles, the incoming chief of staff, tentatively established a staff structure in which the Presidential Personnel Office would serve beneath the Office of Cabinet Affairs, set to be led by Taylor Budowich.[32] Ahead of Trump's second inauguration, Gor led a team of Trump loyalists, including Charlie Kirk, who conducted loyalty tests for government positions.[33] According to the New York Post, Gor had not officially submitted paperwork on his own background by June.[34] In February 2025, Gor was appointed to the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after Trump removed its members.[35]

Gor came into conflict with Elon Musk and his proposed nominees, culminating in an argument at a Cabinet meeting in March.[36] After the meeting, Musk stated that he would not work with Gor, according to Politico.[37] Ahead of a joint press conference on Musk's last day in the White House, Gor provided a background file on Jared Isaacman, Musk's favored nominee for administrator of NASA, that included information about donations Isaacman previously made to Democrats.[36] Gor is believed to have been responsible for Trump withdrawing Isaacman's nomination.[38] After the New York Post's report on Gor's background, Musk referred to him as a "snake".[39] In September, Gor fired Erik Siebert, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, after Trump called for him to be dismissed.[40]

After Trump named Gor as his nominee for United States ambassador to India and as his special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs, Axios reported that Gor would be succeeded by Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff.[41] Near the conclusion of Gor's tenure, Trump stated that Gor and his team had installed four thousand employees across the federal government, an unverified claim.[42]

U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs (2025–present)

On August 22, 2025, Donald Trump named Gor as his special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs.[43] According to an Uzbek official, Gor set up a call between Trump and Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev.[1] He negotiated a US$25 billion commercial deal between the United States and five Central Asian countries and convened a Central Asian business summit at the White House in November.[44]

U.S. Ambassador to India (2026–present)

Photograph of Sergio Gord handing a document to Droupadi Murmu
Gor presenting his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu

On August 22, 2025, Trump named Gor as his nominee for United States ambassador to India.[43] Trump's decision came amid tensions in India–United States relations, including ongoing trade negotiations.[42] On October 7, the Senate voted to confirm Gor in a bloc of nominees.[45] He was sworn in on November 10.[46] Gor presented his credentials to Indian president Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on January 14, 2026.[47] As the ambassador to India, Gor moved to cancel an US$850 million renovation of the U.S. embassy in New Delhi.[1]

References

Works cited