Trump is breaking US diplomacy, State Department staffers say – POLITICO
Trump is breaking US diplomacy, State Department staffers say
More than 60 ambassadorships don’t even have a nominee, while diplomats are told they’re being evaluated on their “fidelity.”
A general view of the U.S. Embassy in London, England. American diplomats in embassies around the world say they’re concerned about the fate of the Foreign Service under President Donald Trump. | Leon Neal / Getty ImagesBy Nahal Toosi, 09/21/2025, 10:00 AM EDT
President Donald Trump promised to reform American diplomacy. Insiders say he’s breaking it instead, to the point where he’s undermining his own global influence.
Eight months into Trump’s second term, more than half of U.S. ambassadorships, an unusually high amount, are vacant. Most top State Department roles are filled on an acting basis, often by people with little relevant experience. Many U.S. diplomats, especially those overseas, are largely cut out of policy talks while struggling to implement administration orders they say are confusing. Many also are too afraid to speak up because they could be fired or lose a promotion under new rules that measure their “fidelity.” They’ve already seen thousands of their colleagues pushed out and many offices dismantled.
POLITICO spoke to a dozen State Department officials, former diplomats and other U.S. officials with insight into the department, granting nearly all anonymity because of concerns they could be fired for speaking publicly.
The overall impact of the changes remains unclear. But many diplomats said they feel both powerless and resigned to the circumstances. There’s a sense that if Trump’s political appointees don’t want diplomats’ advice, then fine — those appointees will have to deal with the legal and logistical fallout of whatever plan they order diplomats to carry out.
“In Trump’s first administration, people would say, ‘This isn’t right — we need to tell the White House.’ There’s none of that this time,” one of the State Department officials said. “Why would I do that? This administration isn’t interested.”
The officials and diplomats interviewed said the Trump administration is reshaping the Foreign Service into a smaller, weaker force in international relations, one whose diplomats are mere implementers instead of originators of policy ideas. This is happening despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s stated plans to make his department more central to foreign policymaking.
Tommy Pigott, a department spokesperson, defended the changes Rubio has made, saying the secretary has “reorganized the entire State Department to ensure those on the front lines — the regional bureaus and the embassies — are in a position to impact policies.” He added, however: “What we will not tolerate is people using their positions to actively undermine the duly elected president’s objectives.”
Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: Trump is breaking US diplomacy, State Department staffers say – POLITICO
#2025 #America #Diplomats #DonaldTrump #FederalGovernment #Health #History #InternationalRelations #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #MarcoRubio #Opinion #Politico #Politics #Resistance #Science #StateDepartment #Trump #TrumpAdministration #TrumpSCabinet #USDiplomacy #USStateDepartment #UnitedStates #World
