American experts warn of the consequences if Mr. Trump recalls a series of ambassadors

A group of 10 Democratic lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on December 24 sent a letter to President Donald Trump, describing his recent decision to recall nearly 30 ambassadors in many regions around the world as an “unprecedented move”, causing the number of vacant US ambassador positions globally to exceed 100.

“Those ambassadors pledged their allegiance to carry out the policies of administrations of both parties,” the lawmakers continued. “We call on you to immediately reverse your decision before causing further damage to America’s reputation in the world.”

US media previously reported that leaders of diplomatic missions in at least 29 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America received notices that their terms would end in January 2026. These people were appointed under President Joe Biden, but passed a preliminary personnel review at the beginning of President Trump’s second term.

Commenting on this information, the US State Department affirmed that this is “a standard procedure of any administration”. “The Ambassador is the personal representative of the President, and the President has the authority to ensure that representatives in those countries promote the America First agenda,” the US State Department statement said.

However, this assessment was rejected by many former officials and diplomatic experts, warning that such a move to simultaneously recall ambassadors could seriously weaken America’s diplomatic capacity and global influence.

President of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) John Dinkelman, who has nearly 40 years working in the diplomatic service, commented to the station. PBS that the decision to recall nearly 30 ambassadors at the same time was “unprecedented” in US history and not a “standard process” as stated by the US State Department.

“When President Trump first took office, all US ambassadors submitted their resignations according to procedure,” Dinkelman explained. “Mr. Trump then accepted or rejected those resignation applications.”

This expert said the ambassadors followed the correct process nearly a year ago, and the Trump administration did not reject their resignations, but encouraged them to continue working.

“Just a few weeks ago, many high-ranking cabinet officials met with ambassadors and reaffirmed their desire to stay, only to suddenly call and ask to leave office within a very short period of time,” the AFSA president revealed.

Dinkelman said that this decision is no different from Washington “removing key players from the field” before entering important diplomatic games.

“That is an act of sabotage of the US diplomatic apparatus,” he said. “Those ambassadors have devoted their lives to a career in diplomacy, to representing America abroad, to implementing US policies, serving the goals of presidents, only to have the government tell them that they are not qualified for some reason. This is completely wrong.”

These ambassadors all belong to a group of professional diplomats who have built a network of relationships and accumulated reputation over decades and are difficult to replace quickly. If these positions are filled with new personnel, they also face pressure to prove “political loyalty” and risk being less effective, Dinkelman warned.

This is why he believes that this action could seriously damage the diplomatic apparatus that has been built by the US for decades.

Mr. Cameron Hudson, former US official in charge of Africa, said that the decision to recall a series of ambassadors also reflects Mr. Trump’s “personalized” management style in diplomacy. Hudson believes that President Trump is confident that if he directly intervenes in bilateral relations, the ambassador position is not too important, and when he does not need to directly pay attention, that country is not a US policy priority.

Hudson warns that this approach risks undermining the traditional role of professional diplomats and hindering efforts to shape long-term perspectives and interests.

In fact, US embassies in Africa, as well as the US Department of State’s Africa Department, have long been understaffed. The decision to recall 13 more ambassadors in this region could increase the total number of vacant senior leadership positions to about 30. The White House has not yet nominated a candidate for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Africa.

Many retired diplomats believe that this number will certainly affect the ability to deploy US policy, especially in the context of the region facing many military coups and prolonged conflicts. Mr. Tibor Nagy, a former senior official in charge of Africa under Mr. Trump’s first term, admitted that the number of vacant diplomatic positions in the region is too high and warned that this could harm the operation of the entire machine.

Meanwhile, officials in the Trump administration believe that this move is consistent with the operating style of the President, who wants to directly control key foreign relationships.

For the African region, where more than half of the countries may no longer have a US ambassador after the recall, the White House is pursuing a diplomatic strategy with a focus on trade instead of placing emphasis on aid policy. The US State Department also argued that the Trump administration is achieving “unprecedented successes” in promoting national interests in Africa and other regions, from many trade agreements to a series of peace initiatives and health cooperation.

However, some analysts note that while President Trump and senior envoys may be able to reach an agreement at the leadership level, much of the implementation and monitoring work still needs to be done by the embassy.

Democratic senators on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned that when the US vacates a series of ambassadorial positions, rivals such as China and Russia will have the opportunity to increase their influence in many regions.

In a letter to President Trump, a group of Democratic lawmakers emphasized that recalling a series of professional diplomats could undermine reputation, security as well as the ability to protect American citizens and businesses abroad.

“If we replace people en masse with each administration, America will gradually lose its ability to do diplomacy, not get anything done, reduce its national reputation and ultimately damage the country itself,” Dinkelman said.