An Ambassador’s Grand Entry And The Question Of Diplomatic Protocol

Blowing one’s own trumpet is a perfectly legitimate human weakness. Some do it discreetly, some with a flourish, and some, like the United States’ Ambassador-designate to India, Sergio Gor, with what sounded suspiciously like a full brass band. What New Delhi witnessed on Monday was not the quiet assumption of office that diplomats usually favour, but a kind of inauguration ceremony, minus the constitutional formalities. Never before has an ambassador “assumed” office with such fanfare.

Traditionally, ambassadors arrive quietly, disappear behind Raisina Hill shrubbery, and surface only after presenting credentials to the Head of State. India has hosted some exceptionally brilliant American envoys who followed this understated script. Daniel Patrick Moynihan combined scholarship with wit; John Kenneth Galbraith brought erudition and elegance; Chester Bowles mixed idealism with restraint; even the hard-headed Robert Blackwill avoided theatrics. They were as unassuming as some of the presidents who appointed them.

Trump era diplomacy

But then Donald Trump is a different kettle of fish, and it would be unreasonable to expect his envoy to behave like a Galbraith or a Moynihan. Gor has already carved out a niche for himself by becoming perhaps the first American ambassador to hold what looks like a simultaneous diplomatic position—envoy to India and on-call confidant to President Trump.

The only comparable historical parallel might be Lord Mountbatten, who managed to be viceroy and governor-general while wearing several other imperial hats with effortless aplomb. The most amusing part of Monday’s spectacle was that Gor has not yet presented his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu—the small constitutional detail that formally makes one an ambassador. Until that happens, he remains, technically speaking, an ambassador-in-waiting.

Style meets substance

His explanation, however, was refreshingly candid. President Trump, he revealed, has a habit of calling him at a particular hour—an hour that now suits him better because he is in India and the time difference works in his favour. That alone may qualify as a new benchmark in diplomatic efficiency.

Substance, to be fair, did accompany the style. His announcements that Washington is keen to sew up a long-delayed trade deal with India and that New Delhi will soon be invited to join the eight-nation “Pax Silica” silicon supply-chain grouping were music to Indian ears. India’s earlier exclusion from a club that includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK, Israel, the UAE and Australia had raised eyebrows.

If the US is serious about reorganising global supply chains, India is an obvious destination for companies looking to manufacture outside China. In diplomacy, style can irritate, amuse or alarm, but it is results that endure. Gor has announced them in advance. Now the trumpet must give way to the orchestra.

Published on: Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 12:47 AM IST