Tashkent-born Sergio Gor says it’s ‘total b*****it’ that he wants Rubio’s job

Sergio Gor, the US ambassador to India and a close Trump aide who was reportedly born in Soviet Uzbekistan, has denied allegations that his name was mentioned in discussions about a successor to the current Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 

A day after the US midterms, the Washington Sun published a report featuring what it said were inputs from ‘sources familiar with internal conversations’ who claimed that Gor could be propelled to several top-tier jobs, including the White House chief of staff, the Secretary of State or his Deputy. 

‘He wants more of a forward-facing role,’ the paper quoted an unnamed US official as saying. Another source, said to be a White House adviser, said Trump ‘loves this guy’ for his ability to prioritise deals over personal favours. 

The Washington Sun has reached Gor for comment, in which he minced no words denying the rumours:  

‘This story is complete and total bullshit,” he said, calling Rubio ‘irreplaceable’, and ‘a dear friend who I have the joy of working with every day as U.S. ambassador to India — a true honour of a lifetime’. 

Gor’s path from Soviet Tashkent to Trump’s White House

Gor was born in Tashkent in 1986, five years before Uzbekistan gained independence, according to The Times of Malta, with his lawyer confirming the birthplace. Gor spent part of his childhood in Malta and later ran Trump’s White House personnel office before taking up his current post in New Delhi.

Sergio Gor welcomes US State Secretary Marco Rubio to Uzbekistan ahead of key C5+1 Ministerial meeting Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/15zVYpC5Uq #SergioGor #MarcoRubio #Uzbekistan #MinisterialMeeting https://t.co/UAKCy8kedy

— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) October 19, 2026

The sidestory: US envoy Sergio Gor tours Uzbek market and historic Bukhara

Gor also serves as Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia. On 16 October, he met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to discuss preparations for Rubio’s visit and talks between the US and the five Central Asian states. Rubio arrived in Samarkand three days later, where he identified critical minerals as an area for closer cooperation.