US envoy presents credentials to President Murmu

Amid strain in India-US ties over a plethora of issues, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday formally presented his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqué said President Murmu accepted the credentials of Ambassador Gor, and the envoys of Trinidad and Tobago and Austria, Chandradath Singh and Robert Zischg.

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Gor, 38, was sworn in as the US Ambassador to India in mid-November last year after his appointment was confirmed by the Senate in October. He previously served as the White House personnel director before President Donald Trump nominated him as the next US envoy to India in August 2025.

Gor, who arrived in New Delhi earlier this week, said, “No country is as essential as India to the United States,” adding that both sides are “actively engaged” in efforts to conclude a trade deal.

Addressing an audience at the US Embassy here, he described ties between the two leaders as strong, saying, “I can attest that President Trump’s friendship with Prime Minister Modi is real. Real friends can disagree but always resolve their differences in the end.”

The new American envoy has his task cut out as he takes charge at a time when ties between India and the US are passing through a bad phase in view of the punitive sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump on Indian imports.

Gor’s positive remarks this week were widely seen as an attempt to signal a reset and push forward a broader strategic partnership.