State Department Provided Therapy Sessions to Its Employees Traumatized by Trump Victory

This, I suppose, is as shocking as the sun rising in the East. The United States State Department, theoretically staffed by adults whose job it is to execute the directives of the President of the United States, are traumatized that they will have to work for Donald Trump. 

The Biden administration provides therapy sessions for them. 

Anyone who needed a “therapy and listening session” after Trump’s election win cannot be trusted to work as an impartial civil servant. I hope @DOGE is taking names.

— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) November 22, 2024

First revealed by The Washington Free Beacon, the sessions caught the attention of Darrell Issa, who is among the most hated Members of Congress by bureaucrats. He was not amused, and rightly pointed out that anybody who needs trauma therapy because their preferred candidate for president lost probably shouldn’t work for the government. 

They should spend their time with coloring books and consider spending time in a mental facility rooming next to Rob Reiner. 

“Managing stress during change,” read an internal State Department email sent across the agency that encouraged employees to attend a one-hour session in which they could discuss their feelings about Tuesday’s election results. The department’s Employee Consultation Services in the Bureau of Medical Services hosted the session, according to a copy of the email notice described by sources to the Free Beacon.

“Change is a constant in our lives, but it can often bring about stress and uncertainty,” the email said. “Join us for an insightful webinar where we delve into effective stress management techniques to help you navigate these challenging times. This session will provide tips and practical strategies for managing stress and maintaining your well being.”

The session was led by a licensed clinical provider. A second one is scheduled for Nov. 13, according to the email notice.

The State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which oversees American diplomacy in the war-torn Middle East, also held a group discussion Friday with assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs Barbara Leaf and acting undersecretary for political affairs John Bass, according to three sources briefed on the matter.

One source described the meeting as a “cry session” over Trump’s victory, which is likely to usher in wholesale change at Foggy Bottom. Officials in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs have been working for months to sanction the Jewish government and withhold critical arms shipments, alleging Israel is not doing enough to provide humanitarian aid in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. They are said to have discussed the difficulty of Trump’s victory and urged employees to share their feelings in private settings.

For God’s sake, man up. (In this new Trump era, we can say such things again!). 

I’m not a monster, and I would expect employees of any institution to hang around the water cooler and bitch when a new boss arrives. But the role of the current boss is to tell employees to buck up, get back to work, and do their damn jobs. Holding bitch sessions and encouraging grousing about the new boss is the opposite of what they should be doing. 

But this is a bureaucracy we are talking about, and any opportunity to do some stupid team-building is not to be ignored. And as a political bureaucracy, it was probably important to lay the groundwork for the #resistance to come. 

My guess, though, is that this was more an HR-driven exercise than a “conspire against Trump” one. HR loves this sort of thing, while top State Department figures are likely under their desks sitting in a puddle of flop sweat this time around. 

Trump has had four years to stew about how to bend the government to his will. 

Maybe those employees will need a therapy session soon enough.