Trump Restructures the Diplomatic Corps by Dismissing 30 Ambassadors from Biden's Era

SadaNews - The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a significant step to restructure the diplomatic representation of the United States abroad, deciding to terminate the duties of nearly 30 diplomats holding ambassadorial positions and senior officials in several U.S. embassies around the world.

This move comes as part of the administration's efforts to reinforce its approach based on the priority of the "America First" slogan and to ensure that diplomatic representatives are fully aligned with Trump's orientations and foreign policies.

According to two officials from the U.S. State Department, heads of diplomatic missions in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their duties would officially end by January of next year.

The source explained that all diplomats affected by this decision had assumed their positions during the tenure of former President Joe Biden, yet they remained in their roles after the beginning of Trump’s second term, having survived the first wave of dismissals that primarily targeted political appointees.

However, the situation has changed recently, as the concerned diplomats began receiving official notifications from Washington indicating the impending end of their assignments.

Despite the termination of their duties as ambassadors, sources confirmed that these diplomats would not be removed from the State Department or the diplomatic corps, but they would have the opportunity to return to Washington, D.C. to take on other positions or tasks should they wish to continue working.

The U.S. State Department refrained from commenting on the number of affected ambassadors or revealing their names, but defended these actions as part of "a normal practice followed by any new administration."

The department also emphasized that the ambassador is a personal representative of the president, thus it is his right to choose who best fits to represent the United States abroad in a manner that serves his political agenda.

Data indicates that Africa was the most affected continent by these changes, with the termination of ambassadors in 13 countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda.

Asia came in second in terms of the number of affected countries, as the decisions included ambassadors in six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

In Europe, the changes impacted ambassadors in four countries: Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia. Additionally, two countries in the Middle East, Algeria and Egypt, and two countries in South and Central Asia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, along with two countries in the western hemisphere, Guatemala and Suriname, were also included.

Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president and typically remain in their positions for a period ranging from three to four years.