US President Donald Trump said Friday he would nominate Sergio Gor to be Washington's next ambassador to India.

Gor, one of Trump's closest aides who currently serves as the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, will oversee frosty relations with New Delhi.

Bilateral ties have soured over the planned doubling of US tariffs on goods from India next week.

Gor will also serve as a special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs, the US president confirmed.

What did Trump say about the nomination?

Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that Gor would remain in his current position until he is confirmed for the India post by the US Senate.

"Sergio is a great friend, who has been at my side for many years," Trump said.

"For the most populous Region in the World, it is important that I have someone I can fully trust to deliver on my Agenda and help us, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump wrote.

Vice President JD Vance also hailed the appointment.

"Sergio is a great guy and will make a fantastic ambassador for our country to India," he wrote on X. 

How have relations between the US and India deteriorated?

Relations between the United States and India have been strained by Trump's trade war.

Talks on lower tariff rates stalled after India, the world's fifth-largest economy, resisted opening its vast agricultural and dairy sectors.

Bilateral trade between Washington and New Delhi is worth more than $190 billion (€164 billion) each year.

Edited by: Karl Sexton