Simple phone calls, as a further illustration of Donald Trump’s brutal methods. This Monday, December 22, the American president ordered nearly 30 ambassadors stationed around the world, appointed by Joe Biden, to return to the United States in the coming weeks, a measure which risks creating a significant gap within the American diplomatic corps, reveals the New York Times.
The American administration asked them to leave their functions within a fortnight, by mid-January 2026, in order to align the diplomatic corps with new American foreign policy priorities. Around thirty countries are affected, mainly in Africa, according to The Associated Press (AP). “Those affected report being informed abruptly, usually by telephone, without any explanation,” said Nikki Gamer, a spokeswoman for the American Foreign Service Association, the union representing career diplomats. “This method is highly unusual.”
Candidates for ambassador are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate, and fall into two categories: career diplomats and political appointees. The latter are often donors or close friends of the president, and are expected to resign at the start of a new administration, as was the case when Donald Trump took office in January. But career diplomats often stay in post for several years within a new administration, hence the surprise of the announcement. “Our union can say with certainty that such a massive dismissal has never taken place since the creation of the Foreign Service as we know it,” explained Nikki Gamer to the New York Times.
Morale of diplomats at half mast
Questioned by AFP, the State Department did not confirm the details of these referrals or which countries were concerned, but indicated that “this is a standard process in any administration”. “An ambassador is a personal representative of the president” and the latter “is entitled to ensure that he has people in these countries who advance the ‘America First’ agenda,” said a senior State Department official on condition of anonymity, while Donald Trump has not yet nominated candidates for vacant ambassadorial positions in sub-Saharan Africa. In general, in this configuration, the deputy head of mission, often also a career diplomat, takes over in the interim.
For several observers, these massive recalls risk further affecting the morale of career diplomats working under the authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Earlier this month, the profession’s union released the results of a survey of its members, revealing that 98% of respondents believed that workplace morale had fallen since the start of Donald Trump’s second term, due in part to budget cuts. With Marco Rubio, the American president oversaw the dismissal of hundreds of personnel within the State Department, reorganized around the priorities of the administration, and abolished the American Agency for Development (USAID). In total, 1,300 job cuts took place, including 264 diplomats around the world, replaced by loyalists of the president.
