No Partner More Essential Than India: US Ambassador Sergio Gor Reflects On Trade Deal, Trump-Modi Friendship

Sergio Gor, a key figure in President Donald Trump’s inner circle, arrived in New Delhi late Friday night and took charge as the US Ambassador to India on Monday (January 12, 2026), stepping into his new role at a time of rare strain in India–US relations. With this, he also offered an update on the highly anticipated trade deal between the two economies.

Gor, appointed in mid-November 2025 and confirmed by the US Senate in October 2025, described his return to India as an opportunity moment, posting on social media: “Great to be back in India! Incredible opportunities ahead for our two nations!” His arrival, however, comes against the backdrop of escalating trade tensions and a stalled bilateral trade deal.

New US Ambassador to India takes charge: Tariffs and trade deal in focus

The timing of Gor’s India arrival is geopolitically significant. New Delhi and Washington have sparred in recent weeks over US President Trump’s decision to impose up to 500% tariffs on countries buying cheap Russian oil, which include China, Brazil and India. The development came just a few months after Trump declared 50% tariffs on select Indian exports.

Ties were further strained after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week claimed that the proposed India–US trade deal collapsed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not call President Trump, an assertion India publicly dismissed as “inaccurate.” The MEA clarified that they spoke 8 times in 2025.

‘India-US relationship anchored at highest levels’

Seeking to ease frictions, Gor on Monday emphasised the resilience of the bilateral relationship, pointing to the personal rapport between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi. “I have travelled all over the world with President Trump, and I can attest that his friendship with Prime Minister Modi is real,” Gor said.

With this, he stressed that India and the US are bound “not just by shared interests, but by a relationship anchored at the highest levels.”

Trump–Modi chemistry highlighted

Recalling recent interactions, new US Ambassador to India Gor shared that Trump frequently speaks about his visit to India and his friendship with Modi. In a lighter moment, he noted the US President’s habit of late-night calls. “President Trump has a habit of calling at 2 in the morning, and with the time difference in New Delhi, it might work out pretty well.”

While remarking so, he expressed hope that Trump would visit India again in the next year or two.

India-US trade deal: A breakthrough soon?

Gor, while acknowledging the difficulties surrounding the stalled trade negotiations, signalled that diplomatic engagement remains active. “India is the world’s largest nation, so it’s not an easy task to get this across the finish line,” he said, confirming that both sides continue to engage and that another round of trade talks was scheduled imminently.

“Many of you have asked me for an update on the ongoing trade deal negotiations. Both sides continue to actively engage,” Gor shared, further adding that the next call on trade will occur tomorrow. Gor underlined that while trade remains central, the partnership extends far beyond tariffs and market access.

India most important for the US?

“No partner is more essential than India,” Gor stressed, outlining an ambitious agenda that spans security cooperation, counter-terrorism, energy ties, technology, education, and health. His remarks underscored Washington’s broader Indo-Pacific strategy, in which India plays a pivotal role amid shifting global power dynamics.

Gor also invited India to the Pax Silica initiative, a month after leaving New Delhi out of the US-led initiative, indicating a softening in tensions between the two countries. This US-led initiative is focused on securing AI and tech supply chains. It was launched December 12, 2025 to “reduce coercive dependencies” and build a “secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain”.

A Trump loyalist with strategic weight

Gor previously served as White House personnel director and was a central figure in President Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, overseeing the vetting of political appointees. When nominating him in August, Trump described Gor as a trusted aide tasked with strengthening “one of our country’s most important international relationships—the strategic partnership with India.”

As Gor begins his tenure, his immediate challenge will be navigating tariff disputes, reviving the stalled trade deal, and preventing economic disagreements from overshadowing a relationship increasingly critical to global geopolitics.