- Sir Henry Wotton (1604): "An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country." (He wrote this as a joke, but it became famous).
Africa was most affected by the removals, with ambassadors from 13 countries being removed: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.
Ambassadorial changes are also coming to Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia, Algeria, Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Suriname.
These recalls are part of an effort to realign U.S. diplomacy with the "America First" agenda, ensuring ambassadors are seen as fully supportive of President Trump's priorities. The State Department has described this as a standard process in any new administration, noting that ambassadors serve as personal representatives of the president.
However, the move is unusual because it targets career diplomats (not just political appointees), who are typically allowed to complete their standard 3–4 year tours regardless of who is in the White House. Critics, including the American Foreign Service Association (the diplomats' union) and Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, have called it abrupt, unexplained, and potentially damaging to morale, U.S. credibility abroad, and diplomatic effectiveness—especially since many of the affected posts are in lower-profile or non-crisis countries, and there are already around 80 vacant ambassadorships worldwide (with deputy chiefs often filling in).
Sen. Shaheen, the top Democrat on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said Trump was “giving away US leadership to China and Russia by removing qualified career Ambassadors who serve faithfully no matter who’s in power”. “This makes America less safe, less strong and less prosperous,” she said.
Geographically, in Europe (e.g., Slovakia, Montenegro, Armenia, North Macedonia), Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere are all effected. Importantly, the administration has stated that no recalls are happening in countries at war or involved in high-stakes negotiations with the U.S.
Ambassador salaries (for career ones) are generally in the range of $150,000–$220,000+ base pay (depending on seniority, location allowances, and other factors. A possible savings of about $21M (e.g., 109 × ~$190k ≈ $20.71M for one year can be expected although many will be relocated.
The U.S. maintains diplomatic relations with nearly 200 countries/territories and has ambassadors or equivalent chiefs of mission in most of them (though vacancies are common during transitions). Prioritizing major powers like the UK, France, Russia, and China makes sense strategically—those posts tend to involve higher-stakes issues (NATO, great-power competition, etc.)—and the recalls appear to spare or avoid disrupting the most vital ones.
Trump and Rubio’s move seems like a deliberate push to reshape the diplomatic corps early in the term in a department of 70,000 employees and a budget of $58.8 billion, but it has sparked debate about whether it strengthens or weakens U.S. influence in "lesser" countries where steady, non-political representation might matter more for long-term interests like trade, countering Chinese influence, or regional stability.
Whether it's "a good start" depends on one's view of how politicized Biden’s Foreign Service became under Antony Blinken—supporters see it as necessary accountability, while critics argue it risks turning professional diplomacy into something more partisan.
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sole opinion of the writer.
