Did Elon Musk Call Trump's Pick For India Envoy A 'Snake'? A Look At Their Feud

Last Updated:August 23, 2025, 08:30 IST

Donald Trump named his close aide, Sergio Gor, as the next US Ambassador to India. Gor is believed to be involved in Trump's public fallout with Elon Musk.

Elon Musk and Sergio Gor. (Reuters/File)

US President Donald Trump named his close aide, Sergio Gor, a well-known figure in the Republican camp, as the new Ambassador to India amid a delicate time between the two countries, marked by trade tensions.

Gor is reportedly valued by the president for his perceived loyalty, particularly for helping staff thousands of political positions across the federal government. Gor has played an influential role in Trump’s political operations since 2020, and is also one of the major reasons for a bitter public fallout between Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk.

Musk called Gor – who currently leads the White House Presidential Personnel Office – a “snake", after a report revealed that Gor had, at the time, yet to submit official paperwork about his own background needed for a permanent security clearance, while he was tasked with vetting thousands of staffers.

Feud Between Elon Musk & Sergio Gor

According to the New York Times, Gor bitterly fought with Musk, who was once a close adviser to Trump and ran an effort that ripped through existing government systems in the name of cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy.

As per reports, Gor was involved in providing information to Trump that Jared Isaacman, a businessman and Musk’s pick to lead NASA, had donated money to Democrats in the recent past, which prompted Trump to pull the nomination from the Senate confirmation process on Musk’s last working day at the White House.

ALSO READ: How This White House Official Triggered A Fallout Between Donald Trump, Elon Musk

According to a report by Axios, the final straw behind Musk’s relationship with Trump came when the US president was the latter’s decision to remove Isaacman’s nomination as NASA administrator. “This was Sergio’s out-the-door ‘f**k you’ to Musk," a White House official said.

Musk and Gor had disliked each other since before Trump took office on January 20, with Musk describing Gor as “sleazy" during the transition and questioning his staffing picks. Furthermore, Gor was reportedly “humiliated" by Musk during a Cabinet meeting on March 6, when the Tesla CEO criticised the pace of staffing the administration. Reports claimed Gor’s intensely personal dislike of Musk was illustrated by his periodic celebrations when Tesla’s stock cratered.

Musk’s exit was followed by a bitter public spat with Trump over the administration’s flagship tax-and-spending budget bill, which he called a “disgusting abomination". The row quickly escalated as Musk claimed Trump’s name was mentioned in the files related to sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein.

Gor, who is currently the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, would also serve as a special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs. “Sergio is a great friend, who has been at my side for many years. He worked on my Historic Presidential Campaigns, published my Best Selling Books, and ran one of the biggest Super PACs, which supported our Movement," Trump said.

Gor, in a posting on X, thanked Trump for the nomination and said it would be “the honour of my life" to represent the United States in the new role.

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

Read More

Location :

United States of America (USA)

First Published:

August 23, 2025, 08:28 IST

News world Did Elon Musk Call Trump's Pick For India Envoy A 'Snake'? A Look At Their Feud

Read More