Elon Musk swiped at a senior White House official, calling him a “snake” on Wednesday night, following reports of a fight between the two.
Musk replied to a post on X that linked to a New York Post story sharing that Sergio Gor had not submitted full vetting paperwork.
“He’s a snake,” Musk wrote of Gor.
Musk and Gor’s rift started way before this X reply, though.
Sergio Gor’s background
Thirty-eight-year-old Gor is the head of the Presidential Personnel Office and is seen as one of the most influential officials in the White House.
His job entails picking 4,000 executive-branch staff to implement President Donald Trump‘s agenda. He goes through previous tweets, political donations, and remarks to ensure potential employees have been loyal to the president.
Gor attended George Washington University and then worked as an aide to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) during Trump’s first term. Now, he controls every political appointee in the government.
“Sergio has one of the toughest jobs in the administration,” one supporter told the New York Post. “He has to say ‘no’ to a lot of people, including a lot of Cabinet officials, [and] a lot of times he’s telling people, ‘No, you can’t hire this person’ for their own good.’ … He has to say ‘no’ to a lot of officials who aren’t used to hearing the letters ‘N’ and ‘O’ put together.”
In 2021, Gor and Donald Trump Jr. cofounded Winning Team Publishing, a book publisher, which printed a coffee table book full of pictures of Trump.
Gor also led the pro-Trump super PAC Right for America, and currently lives a drive away from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
“He’s a patriot who loves America and believes in President Trump’s agenda,” Matt Wolking, a Trump 2020 campaign aide, said. “With such an important role in staffing the administration, he’s no doubt had to disappoint various people who wanted a certain position, but their whining is just that — sour grapes.”
Gor and Musk’s feud
Gor was a central figure in Trump and Musk’s breakup this June.
Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in Cabinet meetings where Musk scolded Gor over personnel disagreements in recent months.
More recently, when Musk stepped down from his role as a special government employee on May 30, he ran into a conflict with Trump Cabinet officials regarding cuts to the federal workforce advocated by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Shortly after Musk’s departure from DOGE, Trump withdrew his nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman — a close ally of Musk and CEO of Shift4 — to run NASA just days before his expected Senate confirmation vote.
Trump cited “prior associations” in his reasoning, referencing Isaacman’s donations to Democrats.
One senior aeronautical executive told the Washington Examiner that Gor, among other senior Trump advisers, saw the Isaacman nomination withdrawal as a means of “settling the score” with the Tesla CEO.
Now, Gor’s name is in the news again, but this time for not being fully vetted.
What’s going on with Gor now?
According to multiple sources, Gor has yet to submit paperwork regarding his own background, which is needed for a permanent security clearance.
Three administration insiders told the New York Post that Gor has not turned in his Standard Form 86. These forms include a 100-page set of questions and are required for officials who need security clearances.
One of the questions applicants must answer under threat of criminal penalties is where they were born, and whether they have any prior foreign connections.
Gor claims to be from Malta, though no Maltese officials could confirm his birthplace when provided with his birthday. The officials said, “No acts are registered with the provided details.”
Failure to submit SF-86s is rare among White House aides, according to various sources. Gor currently has an interim security clearance, which is normal for other Trump officials awaiting the completion of their background checks.
An SF-86 “is the first step in receiving a security clearance. Everyone — EVERYONE — fills one out, even if they’re not going into a role that will ultimately need an activated clearance [such as] random comms people, administrative staff, [and] legislative affairs,” a source told the New York Post.
During the transition from former President Joe Biden to Trump, Gor strongly opposed SF-86 usage, claiming he was concerned about the “deep state” weeding out Trump’s picks.
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Gor is said to have completed the form, but the White House wouldn’t say if he intends to submit it.
“Sergio Gor is a trusted adviser to President Trump, and he has played a critical role in helping President Trump staff the most talented administration in history,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “It’s sad the New York Post is engaging in baseless gossip rather than focusing on how the Trump administration is tackling the issues impacting our country and world.”