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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know “Very Much Looking Forward”: Sergio Gor To Becoming New US Ambassador To India S ergio Gor, the newly appointed US Ambas- sador to India, onWednesday expressed optimism as he takes charge and thanked US President Donald Trump for the opportunity. In a post on X, he said, “Very much looking forward to being the new U.S. Ambassador to India. Thank you @POTUS @realDonaldTrump! I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity and committed to hon- oring the faith you’ve shown in me.” During the swearing-in ceremony of Gor on Tuesday (local time), Trump said he was entrust- ing Gor to further strengthen strategic, economic, and security ties with New Delhi, while deepening America’s “fantastic relationship” with Prime Minis- ter Narendra Modi. “I’m trusting Sergio to help strengthen our country’s one of the most important international relationships, and that is the strategic partnership with the Republic of India. It’s a big deal. India is a home to one of the world’s oldest civilisations, the largest country in the world and it has got over 1.5 billion people and we have a fantastic relationship with Prime Minister Modi and Sergio’s enhanced that because he’s become already friendly with Prime Min- ister. Knowing that Sergio is going to be the Ambas- sador, they would call constantly to say, ‘let’s get to know this man’ and they like what they see.” “I know you’re gonna have a great success over there. It’s a very important relationship. It’s also the fastest- growing middle class and it’s an important economic and strategic security partner in the Indo-Pacific region. It’s an amazing country”. “As the Ambassador, Sergio will work to fortify our country’s bond, promote investments in key US indus- tries and technologies, increase American energy exports, and expand our security cooperation”, he further added. After taking the oath, Gor thanked Trump for entrust- ing him with the responsibility of the relationship with India and said, “I look forward to enhancing the relation- ship between our two nations. I look forward to doing a great job for you”. In August, Trump nominated Sergio Gor as India’s next ambassador and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs. During his testimony before the Senate For- eign Relations Committee in September, Gor had emphasised that India is “one of the most important relationships our nation (US) has in the world.” Ahead of his swearing-in, he had visited India in October and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, EAM S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval. During the swearing-in ceremony Trump remarked, “We have a fantastic relationship with the Prime Minister, (Narendra) Modi, and Sergio (Gor) has only enhanced that because he’s become already friendly with the Prime Minister.” Underscoring India’s rapid economic growth and its key role in regional security, Trump stated, “India has the fastest-growing middle class and is an ‘important’ economic and strategic security partner in the Indo-Pacific region.” He continued, “It’s an amazing country, actually, 1.5 billion people. China has 1.4 billion. Those are two big countries. As Ambassador, Ser- gio will work to fortify our country’s bond, promote investments in key US industries and technologies, increase American energy exports and expand our security cooperation.” Expressing confidence in Gor’s appointment, the US President added, “Knowing that Sergio is going to be the Ambassador, they would call constantly to say, ‘let’s get to know this man’, and they like what they see.” -ANI PHOTO:REUTERSVIA ANI US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor with President Donald Trump. Trump Softens Stance On H-1B Visa Reform, Says US Needs To “Bring This Talent” As It Can’t Rely On Long-Term Unemployed U S President Donald Trump has appeared to have softened his stance on his administration’s aggressive push on H-1B visa reforms, acknowl- edging the need to import specialised foreign talent to fill critical roles in the American workforce. During an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingra- ham on Tuesday (local time), Trump defended the value of skilled immigrant workers, arguing that the US cannot simply repurpose long-term unemployed Americans for complex roles in manufacturing and defence without extensive training.The US President further noted that while he supports raising wages for American workers, the US must still “bring this talent” to main- tain its industrial and technological edge. “I agree, but you also have to bring this talent,” Trump said when asked whether H1B visa reform would be a major priority for his administration. Earlier in September, Trump signed a proclamation that triggered a major overhaul of the H-1B visa petition. According to the proclamation, there will now be a USD 100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications, a sharp increase from the previous level of about USD 1,500. The US State Department later clarified that the new fee requirement applies only to individuals or companies filing new H-1B petitions or entering the H-1B lottery after September 21.Current visa holders and petitions submitted before that date remain unaffected. Under the proclamation, a USD 100,000 payment must accompany every new H-1B visa petition filed after the deadline, including those submitted for entries in the 2026 lottery. When countered during the interview that the US has “plenty of talented people,” Trump countered, “No, you don’t. There are certain skills you don’t have, and people have to learn them. You can’t take people off the unem- ployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory where we’re going to make missiles.’” The US President further cited an example from the state of Georgia, where, according to him, the removal of skilled foreign workers created difficulties in manufactur- ing complex products. “They had people from South Korea that had made batteries all their life. Making batteries is very compli- cated and very dangerous — a lot of explosions, a lot of problems. They had like 500 or 600 people in the early stages to make batteries and to teach people how to do it,” he said. Trump was referring to the raids conducted by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials at an under-construction Hyundai plant in the state of Georgia in September, during which hundreds of South Korean workers were arrested and deported. He emphasised that such industries require spe- cialised expertise that cannot be immediately filled by untrained or long-term unemployed workers. “You can’t just say a country is coming in, going to invest USD 10 billion to build a plant, and take people off the unemployment line who haven’t worked in five years and they’re going to start making missiles. It doesn’t work that way,” he added. Trump’s remarks mark a notable shift from his earlier hardline stance on foreign worker visas, particularly the H-1B programme, which has been one of the central top- ics in US debates over immigration and employment. -ANI PHOTO:REPRESENTATIONAL PHOTO US Affairs News India Times (November 15, 2025 - November 21, 2025) November 21, 2025 5