Sergio Gor | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2025 | |
| 26th United States Ambassador to India | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2026 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Eric Garcetti |
| United States Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs | |
| Assumed office August 22, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Director of theWhite House Presidential Personnel Office | |
| In office January 20, 2025 – October 13, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Trent Morse |
| Preceded by | Gautam Raghavan |
| Succeeded by | Dan Scavino |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sergey Gorokhovsky (1986-11-30)November 30, 1986 (age 39) |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | George Washington University (BA) |
Sergio Gor (bornSergey Gorokhovsky,Russian:Сергей Гороховский; November 30, 1986) is an American businessman and political operative. He has served as theUnited 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 theWhite House Presidential Personnel Office from January to October 2025.
Gor graduated fromGeorge Washington University, where he was involved in conservative causes, participating inCollege Republicans and founding the university's chapter ofYoung America's Foundation. He was an activist for senatorJohn McCain's2008 presidential campaign and worked for theRepublican National Committee, later serving as the spokesman for representativesSteve King,Michele Bachmann, andRandy Forbes. In May 2013, Gor began working forKentucky senatorRand Paul'spolitical 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 forDonald Trump Jr. as his consultant and book publishing manager. Trump Jr. and Gor foundedWinning Team Publishing, a conservative publishing house, in October 2021; the company published several books about Trump Jr.'s father,Donald Trump, includingOur Journey Together (2021),Letters to Trump (2023), andSave America (2024). Gor was a senior advisor toMAGA 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 forUnited States ambassador to India and as his special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs. TheSenate voted to confirm Gor in October.
Sergey Gorokhovsky was born on November 30, 1986, inTashkent,Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic,Soviet Union. The Gorokhovskys moved toMalta by 1994, when his mother established a business.[1] He was raised inCospicua[2] and attendedDe La Salle College, a Catholic boys' school.[1] The Gorokhovskys emigrated from Cospicua in 1999.[3] He attended high school inLos Angeles and graduated fromGeorge Washington University. According toThe Dispatch, Gorokhovsky enrolled in university using his full surname, but later shortened it to Gor.[4] At George Washington, Gor participated inCollege Republicans and founded the university's chapter ofYoung America's Foundation.[5]
Ahead of the2008 United States presidential election, Gor supported senatorJohn McCain'spresidential campaign, advocating for McCain through a group forCatholics.[3] To garner attention for senatorBarack Obama's support for theAssociation of Community Organizations for Reform Now,[6] he wore a squirrel costume to public events.[4] Gor worked for theRepublican National Committee.[4] By June 2010, he was working asIowa representativeSteve King's spokesman[7] and asMinnesota representativeMichele Bachmann's spokesman by August.[8] For five months, he shared responsibilities for both King and Bachmann.[9] Gor resigned from Bachmann's campaign in February 2011[10] and began serving asVirginia representativeRandy Forbes's communications director by June 2012.[11] That year, he was a booker forNeil Cavuto, aFox News host.[12]
In May 2013, he became the communications director forRANDPAC, thepolitical action committee forKentucky senatorRand Paul.[13] By December 2014, Gor was serving as Paul's spokesman;[14] the following month, he was his communications director.[15] Internal strife between Rand aides and Gor contributed to failings in Paul's2016 presidential campaign, according toBuzzFeed News; in one incident, Gor purportedly decided that Paul should appear with an eagle and tasked staffers with finding one.[16] By May 2018, Gor was serving as Paul's deputy chief of staff.[17]
In June 2020, Gor left Paul's office to serve as the chief of staff of the Trump Victory Finance Committee.[18] The following month, he began working forDonald Trump Jr. as his consultant and book publishing manager forLiberal Privilege (2020).[19] Gor is an amateur DJ in theWest Palm Beach, Florida, area;[20] he was the officiant and DJ for the wedding ofMatt Gaetz and Ginger Luckey[21] and the emcee and DJ forKimberly Guilfoyle's birthday atMar-a-Lago.[22] 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".[20] In October 2021, Trump Jr. and Gor incorporatedWinning Team Publishing, a conservative publishing house.[23] They announcedOur Journey Together (2021), acoffee table book, the following month.[24] The company later publishedLetters to Trump (2023)[25] andSave America (2024).[26] In September 2022,MAGA Inc. hired Gor as a senior advisor.[27] In February 2024,The New York Times reported that Gor had been named to lead a political action committee, Right for America, for Trump.[28]
On November 13, 2024,Semafor reported that presidentDonald Trump had named Gor as his director of theWhite House Presidential Personnel Office;[29] Trump officially named Gor two days later.[30]Susie Wiles, the incomingchief of staff, tentatively established a staff structure in which the Presidential Personnel Office would serve beneath theOffice of Cabinet Affairs, set to be led byTaylor Budowich.[31] Ahead of Trump'ssecond inauguration, Gor led a team of Trump loyalists, includingCharlie Kirk, who conducted loyalty tests for government positions.[32] According to theNew York Post, Gor had not officially submitted paperwork on his own background by June.[33] In February 2025, Gor was appointed to theboard of trustees of theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after Trump removed its members.[34]
Gor came into conflict withElon Musk and his proposed nominees, culminating in an argument at aCabinet meeting in March.[35] After the meeting, Musk stated that he would not work with Gor, according toPolitico.[36] Ahead of a joint press conference on Musk's last day in theWhite House, Gor provided a background file onJared Isaacman, Musk's favored nominee foradministrator of NASA, that included information about donations Isaacman previously made toDemocrats.[35] Gor is believed to have been responsible for Trump withdrawing Isaacman's nomination.[37] After theNew York Post's report on Gor's background, Musk referred to him as a "snake".[38] In September, Gor firedErik Siebert, the actingU.S. attorney for theEastern District of Virginia, after Trump called for him to be dismissed.[39]
After Trump named Gor as his nominee forUnited States ambassador to India and as his special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs,Axios reported that Gor would be succeeded byDan Scavino, theWhite House deputy chief of staff.[40] Near the conclusion of Gor's tenure, Trump stated that Gor and his team had installed four thousand employees across thefederal government, an unverified claim.[41]
On August 22, 2025, Donald Trump named Gor as his nominee for United States ambassador to India and as his special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs.[42] Trump's decision came amid tensions inIndia–United States relations, including ongoing trade negotiations.[41] On October 7, theSenate voted to confirm Gor in a bloc of nominees.[43] He was sworn in on November 10.[44] Gor presented his credentials to Indian presidentDroupadi Murmu at theRashtrapati Bhavan inNew Delhi on January 14, 2026.[45]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to India 2025–present | Incumbent |
