Trump wants to shrink size, reach and focus of State Department: Politico

President Donald Trump has pushed the US State Department to reduce the number of diplomats and embassies, prioritizing immediate US interests over long-term diplomatic engagement.

Advocated by Elon Musk’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Trump’s administration seeks to implement a new self-serving approach targeting US immediate interests, sidelining the older long-term approach that sought to promote US interests through "soft power".

Trump’s so-called “workforce optimization” plan involves dismantling bureaus that promote traditional American soft power initiatives, such as advancing democracy, protecting human rights, supporting scientific research, and fostering goodwill abroad.

James Hewitt, a White House National Security Council spokesperson, has tried to justify Trump's move by citing the $36 trillion national debt.

On the contrary, experts believe that the new approach will significantly tamper with US's global influence.

Trump’s administration has neither revealed the number of diplomatic missions set for closure nor disclosed the number of staff members expected to be cut.

However, Politico reports that the US is considering a 20% reduction in State Department staffing.

Trump blitzkrieg to drastically downsize US government

The Trump administration

The report also highlights a plan by the administration to rank US embassies from 0 to 10 based on their strategic importance, raising concerns about the legal ramifications of the decision and the decision-making processes to determine which nations deserve to host an American diplomatic mission. 

Politico has identified several consulates in France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Brazil that are on the verge of closure, pushing the US further away from its key European allies.

The US president has also sought to create a more "pliable" and easy-to-fire workforce by issuing an order to reform recruitment at the State Department.

Tom Shannon, a former State Department official, has criticized Trump’s approach, arguing that it would “dramatically shrink the ambit of American diplomacy… [and] the purpose and practice of our diplomacy, returning it—if not to the 19th century, at least to pre-World War II.”

Trump has aggressively cracked down on the US Agency for International Development (USAID), portraying it as a wasteful agency run by “radical left lunatics.”

The proposals remain tentative, as some major State Department functions are legally mandated. However, it certainly signals a dangerous shift in US foreign policy.

Critics also argue that Trump’s reckless approach on diplomacy could give China a strategic advantage, allowing the Asian giant to further surpass the US in the number of diplomatic facilities worldwide while the US retreats into isolation.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk