A wave of Trump-demanded departures hits the State Department

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Personnel changes in the senior ranks of the department, like those at all federal agencies, are not uncommon after a presidential election, and career officials serving in those roles are required, just as non-career political appointees, to submit letters of resignation. However, it is unusual for incoming administrations to seek the resignations of officials serving in positions not nominated by the president.

In the past, some resignations have not been accepted, allowing career officials to remain in their posts at least temporarily until the new president can nominate his team. That offers some degree of continuity in the day-to-day running of the bureaucracy.

One senior career diplomat who is staying, Lisa Kenna, was appointed acting secretary of state shortly after Monday's inauguration. She was only in that job for several hours, until Marco Rubio was confirmed by the Senate as top diplomat. Kenna will return to a previous job she held as executive secretary.

Officials at the State Department’s global talent management team spent part of Monday calling career senior diplomats at the behest of the Trump administration, asking them to resign immediately, according to a person familiar with matter. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that while requests for resignations were anticipated, the number of diplomats being called on to step down was greater than expected.

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Scores of career State Dept. diplomats resign before Trump’s inauguration

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Requesting the resignations, the prerogative of any incoming administration, indicates a desire to quickly shift the tone and makeup of the State Department as Trump seeks to upend the global diplomatic chessboard after four years of President Joe Biden. Key priorities for Trump include imposing sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries, ending the war in Ukraine, solidifying the wobbly ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and deporting millions of undocumented immigrants.

“It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump’s vision for putting our nation and America’s working men and women first. We have a lot of failures to fix, and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals,” said a spokesperson for the transition team.

The State Department declined to comment.

On Friday, the Trump team made clear to many of the department’s career officials serving as assistant secretaries and in other high-level positions that they would not be needed beyond Monday.

Some incoming presidents choose to keep a larger stable of career diplomats in senior roles until handpicked political appointees receive Senate confirmation. Instead, Trump has authorized the selection of more than 20 “senior bureau officials” to take over various divisions where leadership posts are being vacated this week. A number of those officials served in key roles in the State Department and the National Security Council during Trump’s first term, and some have been pulled out of retirement, officials familiar with the matter said.

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