Washington, Aug. 24 -- President Donald Trump on Friday announced businessman Sergio Gor as his nominee for the next US Ambassador to India, ending months of speculation over the high-profile diplomatic appointment. Gor, 38, currently heads the influential White House Presidential Personnel Office and has maintained close ties to Trump throughout his political career. Referring to Gor as a "great friend" and acknowledging his contributions to the President's past political campaigns, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: "I am pleased to announce that I am promoting Sergio Gor to be our next United States Ambassador to the Republic of India, and 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. 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," Trump said. Gor's appointment was welcomed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, with his nomination now awaiting confirmation by the United States Senate. Although Gor has been entrusted with a key diplomatic role, the political operative appears to lack significant foreign policy experience - a notable concern amid recent diplomatic strains between India and the United States. New Delhi has expressed unease over Washington's growing closeness to Pakistan and President Trump's decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian goods. Senior officials in the Trump administration have also accused India of "profiteering" from its purchase, refining, and global sale of Russian-origin energy. Gor - who was born in Uzbekistan in 1986 - is set to assume his post in New Delhi at a particularly sensitive moment. He began his political career as an aide to prominent Republican politicians and worked with the Republican National Committee. Gor rose to prominence through his involvement in President Trump's unsuccessful 2020 re-election campaign, after which he quickly became a key figure in Trump's political inner circle. In 2021, he co-founded the conservative publishing house Winning Team Publishing with Donald Trump Jr., the President's eldest son. The firm has since released several books authored by President Trump and other leading conservative figures in the United States. Following President Trump's successful 2024 campaign, Gor was appointed to run the White House Presidential Personnel Office - the powerful agency responsible for vetting and selecting candidates for several key positions across the federal government. The role confers significant political power, and analysts told HT that Gor's appointment reflects the deep trust and access he enjoys with the President. "President Trump's nomination of one of his closest political advisors, Sergio Gor, to be Ambassador to India could help to some small degree to arrest the slide in US-India ties. Nominating such a trusted political confidante sends a signal about the importance President Trump attaches to India," Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Center for a New American Security Lisa Curtis said. "Still, President Trump's harsh rhetoric toward India in the last few weeks has undermined India's confidence in the United States, and the Gor nomination alone will not repair the damage that has been done," added Curtis, who served in the National Security Council during Trump's first term as the Senior Director for South and Central Asia. However, Gor has not been without controversy. Reports in the American media suggest that he has used his position to block key appointments, particularly to the influential National Security Council. Gor is widely seen as a member of the "Restrainer" school of US foreign policy, which advocates a more limited view of American interests abroad and urges caution against costly military interventions. He and his allies have reportedly engaged in an internal struggle against the "Primacist" school, which supports a more traditional and assertive US foreign policy approach to the world. Additionally, Gor is said to have played a key role in the fallout between President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. The rift reportedly began after Musk's ally, Jared Isaacman, was sidelined for the post of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Director - a move allegedly based on information provided by Gor in his capacity as head of the Presidential Personnel Office. It also remains unclear what Gor's parallel nomination as Special Envoy for South and Central Asia will entail. "It's not clear what it means substantively since the US has no apparent strategy for the region. But bureaucratically, it means that there's no point to having an Assistant Secretary of State for the region," Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Evan Feigenbaum said. Paul Kapur, Trump's nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate....