TRUMP is taking away almost 30 experienced diplomats from their top roles as ambassadors. The Trump administration is making these changes to adjust how the U.S. represents itself overseas by replacing people who fully support President Donald Trump's "America First" approach.
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At least 29 embassy leaders in different countries were told last week that their jobs would end in January, according to two State Department officials who asked not to be named.
These officials discussed internal changes within the department.
All these diplomats were appointed during the Biden administration but survived an earlier round of changes at the start of Trump's second term, which mainly focused on political appointees.
That changed recently when they started getting notices from Washington about their upcoming departures.
Ambassadors work at the president's pleasure, but they usually stay in their posts for three to four years.
The people affected by this change are not losing their jobs in the foreign service. They can return to Washington for other roles if they want.
The State Department did not give specific numbers or names of those affected but said the changes are a regular part of any administration.
They explained that ambassadors are the president's personal representatives and that it's the president's right to ensure the right people are in these countries to support the America First agenda.
Africa is the region most impacted, with ambassadors from 13 countries being replaced: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda.
Asia is next, with changes in six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Four countries in Europe (Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia) are also affected, as well as two each in the Middle East (Algeria and Egypt), South and Central Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka), and the Western Hemisphere (Guatemala and Suriname).
Politico was the first to report on these recalls, which have raised concerns among some lawmakers and the union that represents American diplomats.