President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly ordered a number of career ambassadors to leave their overseas posts as part of a sweeping effort to align U.S. diplomacy with his “America First” agenda.
Two State Department officials told The Associated Press (AP) that mission chiefs in no less than 29 countries received notices beginning on Dec. 17 informing them their tenures would end in January. The officials spoke anonymously to address internal personnel matters. The New York Post also reported on the move.
The recalled diplomats had all assumed their positions during former President Joe Biden’s administration, though they were not part of a mass recall early in Trump’s second term that primarily targeted political appointees, the AP reported. A State Department official called the move “standard” in a statement to the Post. (RELATED: Trump Defends Focus On Foreign Policy, Says Those Complaining Probably Aren’t His Supporters)
The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, as part of a global reshuffle to align with its “America First” agenda, with Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Western Hemisphere all… pic.twitter.com/TRmIKYtpOZ
— NewsWire 🇱🇰 (@NewsWireLK) December 22, 2025
“This is a standard process in any administration,” the high-ranking department official said Monday. “An ambassador is a personal representative of the president and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda.”
While presidents frequently recall politically appointed ambassadors from previous administrations, the latest recall involves Foreign Service employees who are generally allowed to remain at their posts because they are viewed as career diplomats, Politico reported.
The affected ambassadors will not lose their foreign service jobs and may come back to Washington for different posts if they choose, officials told the AP.
Africa bore the heaviest impact. Ambassadors from 13 countries received recall orders — Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Senegal and Uganda, according to the outlet.
Asia followed with the Philippines, Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam seeing recalls.
Four European nations — Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia — saw recalls, the AP reported. The Middle East lost ambassadors in Algeria and Egypt. Nepal and Sri Lanka were affected in South and Central Asia. Guatemala and Suriname rounded out the Western Hemisphere changes.
President John Dinkelman of the American Foreign Service Association, the union representing U.S. diplomats, told Politico the organization had received reports of diplomats receiving their notices overseas and claimed they were not provided with a reason. He argued that such moves damaged U.S. diplomatic efforts.
The Daily Caller has reached out to the State Department for comment.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional reporting from Politico.
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