According to the American Diplomatic Association, several ambassadors have been ordered to leave the country by mid-January without giving a reason.
The U.S. government is recalling dozens of ambassadors and other senior diplomats to ensure embassies align with President Donald Trump’s “America First” priorities, a move some predict will undermine the country’s credibility on the world stage.
The State Department declined to provide a list of diplomats to be recalled, but a senior official told Reuters on Monday that the move was “standard process in any administration” and insisted that ambassadors should be considered “personal representatives” of the president.
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“It’s the president’s right to make sure that we have people in these countries who are going to promote an America first policy,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Nearly 30 senior diplomats from small countries, where top U.S. representatives have traditionally been drawn from the apolitical foreign ministry, were among those ordered to return to Washington, sources told Reuters.
The Associated Press, citing two unnamed State Department officials, said senior diplomats from at least 29 countries began receiving notifications of their impending departures on Wednesday.
The recall was first reported by Politico, which reported Friday that 20 ambassadors had been ordered to resign, citing State Department officials.
The American Diplomatic Association, which represents diplomats, said on Facebook that it had received “credible reports” that “several career ambassadors appointed under the Biden administration” had been ordered to resign by phone by Jan. 15 or 16, without providing any explanation as to why.
“The sudden, unexplained recalls reflect the same pattern of organized sabotage and politicization that our investigative data already shows is undermining morale, effectiveness, and U.S. credibility overseas,” spokeswoman Nikki Gamer said in an email cited by Reuters.
“We will cede American leadership to China and Russia.”
Ambassadors serve terms at the discretion of the president, but their terms are usually three to four years.
Those affected by the reorganization will not lose their jobs as diplomats, but will return to Washington for other assignments if they wish, State Department officials interviewed by The Associated Press said.
According to the news agency, Africa was the area most affected by the dismissals, with ambassadors from 13 countries being dismissed: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.
Ambassadors are also expected to be transferred to Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Algeria, Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Suriname, the paper said.
Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in X that President Trump is “taking away American leadership to China and Russia by eliminating qualified career ambassadors who will serve loyally no matter who is in power.”
“This makes America less secure, stronger, and less prosperous,” she said.
