The Trump administration is removing numerous career ambassadors from their posts abroad, marking the latest shake-up of the US State Department and diplomatic corps.
At least two dozen senior diplomats have received notice that they must leave their roles next month, sources said. They were appointed to ambassadorships around the world during the Biden administration, but are career diplomats, meaning they have served for years in the foreign service under presidents of both parties.
Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, but their tenures in each diplomatic mission usually last three or four years. Political appointee ambassadors typically leave their roles at a change of administration.
A senior State Department official described the recall of the ambassadors as “a standard process in any administration.”
“An ambassador is a personal representative of the President, and it is the President’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” they said.
The official did not confirm the number of career ambassadors being recalled or the locations where they served. Politico first reported on the removal of the career diplomats.
The American Foreign Service Association, the union for foreign service officers, said it “has received credible reports from our members in diplomatic posts across the world that multiple career ambassadors, appointed during the Biden administration, have been directed to vacate their posts by January 15 or 16.”
“According to our sources, no explanation was given for these recalls,” its statement said.
In its statement, AFSA warned that “to remove these senior diplomats without cause or justification sends a dangerous message.”
“It tells our allies that America’s commitments may shift with the political winds. And yet again, it tells our public servants that loyalty to country is no longer enough—that experience and oath to the Constitution take a backseat to political loyalty,” the organization said. “This is not how America leads.”
Although the career ambassadors are not being fired, they only have a limited window to find a new assignment, or else they will have to retire consistent with foreign service rules.
According to sources, most of the impacted ambassadors are serving at US diplomatic posts in Africa, but the removals also affect posts in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere.
The move to recall the senior diplomats is the latest by the Trump administration to reshape the State Department and strongly align it with its “America First” priorities. More than 1,300 officials who worked…
Read More: Trump administration removes dozens of career diplomats from overseas posts
