Donald Trump has yet again proved that he is intent on ripping up the diplomatic rule book.
In an unprecedented move, the President-elect’s team are reported to have demanded ambassadors appointed by Barack Obama to leave their overseas posts by Inauguration Day on 20 January. The decision to provide no grace period for politically appointed ambassadors marks a significant break with decades of tradition.
The move risks leaving the US without envoys in key countries like Britain, Germany and Canada for months. It also means ambassador’s families have been forced to find places to live in America or their respective countries with very little notice.
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According to a report in the New York Times, Mr Trump’s transition team issued the mandate “without exceptions” in a State Department order sent to diplomats on 23 December.
A senior Trump transition official anonymously told the publication there was no “ill will” in the decision and it was simply an attempt to ensure Mr Obama’s overseas appointees left the government on time.
Ambassadors are said to be thinking about appealing the decision with Rex Tillerson, the billionaire property developer’s nominee for Secretary of State.
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