Politico | Biden under pressure to tap fewer political ambassadors than Trump, Obama
- Donors are growing impatient as US President Joe Biden delays naming coveted ambassador posts
- Biden pressed to appoint more career diplomats because of perception of corruption with some Trump nominees
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Anita Kumar and Nahal Toosi on politico.com on March 15, 2021.
Donald Trump named more of his political allies to serve as ambassadors than any president in modern history. Now the pressure is on Joe Biden to reverse that trend – and set a new standard.
Biden still plans to dole out ambassadorships to major campaign donors, but some diplomats say slashing the number of fundraisers sent to overseas posts would restore confidence in the federal government, boost State Department morale and send a message around the globe.
“Our diplomats expect Biden to build diplomacy back better. That’s what he promised on the campaign trail,” said Brett Bruen, a former Foreign Service officer who now does consulting work. “It means not going back to the old practice of doling out ambassadors to the well-to-do and the well-connected.”
Every presidency starts with the politically well-connected clamouring for all types of coveted positions, including White House jobs and board memberships, but the jockeying for ambassadorships in cities from Paris to Sydney always tops the list. The Biden presidency is no different, according to interviews with five donors, but after the perception of corruption around nominees grew during the Trump years, Biden is being pressed to appoint more career diplomats.
Most presidents in recent decades have given 30 per cent of ambassadorships to political appointees, including major campaign donors. But Trump increased that number to roughly 44 per cent, which included posts in some countries that usually went to career diplomats, such Thailand and Kenya.
