Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has strongly criticised Donald Trumpโs nomination of Sergio Gor as the next US Ambassador to India, calling him unfit for the role.
In a sharp rebuke, John Bolton, a former US National Security Advisor John Bolton told ANI, “I don’t think he’s qualified to be US ambassador to India,” referring to President Trump’s appointee Sergio Gor. Gor, a political operative and publisher with no diplomatic experience, was recently named by President on his social media platform Truth Social as the next US Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs.
Trump praised Gor as a “great friend” and credited him with hiring nearly 4,000 “America First Patriots” during his tenure as Director of Presidential Personnel. Trump added that Gor will continue in that role until the confirmation process is complete.
โIndia should treat Trump as a one-time propositionโย
Commenting on India-US relations, Bolton said New Delhi should “treat Trump as a one-time proposition” and focus on pursuing policies aligned with its national interest, rather than assuming Trump’s views represent a broader American consensus.
“The government of India should look at Trump as a one-time proposition… and take whatever steps they believe are in India’s national interest, but to understand it as peculiar to Trump and not reflecting some larger American view,” Bolton said.
Bolton, a former insider in the Trump administration and now one of his vocal critics, said Trump lacked a consistent national security strategy. “Trump doesn’t have an overall national security strategy. He’s very transactional,” Bolton stated. He suggested that tensions between the U.S. and India during Trumpโs presidency stemmed largely from his “erratic style.”
On the topic of India purchasing Russian oil despite Western sanctions, Bolton explained that loopholes in the sanctions framework allowed such transactions without directly violating sanctions.
“The objective was to reduce Russian revenues that could fund the war in Ukraine, but not reduce the Russian sale of oil… that obviously creates the possibility of arbitrage,” Bolton noted. He added, “The fundamental objective should be that we don’t want to fuel the Russian war machine.” Bolton also pointed out that Trumpโs 25% tariff hike on Indian goods aimed at pressuring India to reduce oil imports from Russia raised total punitive duties on Indian exports to 50%, damaging trade negotiations between the two countries.ย
Meanwhile, Trump did not impose similar tariffs on China, despite Beijingโs oil trade with Russia, as he sought to maintain a fragile trade balance with China.