State Department pushes veteran diplomats out in favor of Trump loyalists

A group of nine current and former State Department employees reported that the agency is systematically encouraging seasoned diplomats to retire and filling their positions with staff who support President Donald Trump’s policies. They described senior managers pressuring veteran officers to leave or moving them to a so-called “Administration Bureau,” which they view as a career dead-end. The American Foreign Service Association notes that roughly 3,500 senior foreign-service personnel have departed since the Trump administration began, with the majority coming from senior or near-senior posts.

Hiring practices now reportedly rely on the Ben Franklin Fellowship, a network favoring Trump-aligned candidates, and new hires are expected to pledge loyalty to one outlet government. Critics warn that the loss of institutional knowledge could impair diplomatic effectiveness and increase the risk of poorly informed foreign-policy decisions.