Trump dismisses Rising Reinke

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is dismissing nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other positions at embassies. According to U.S. media reports, among them is the U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro Judy Rising Reinke.

This is happening as part of an effort to reshape U.S. diplomatic missions and appoint personnel believed to fully support Trump’s priorities, embodied in the message “America First,” the Associated Press is reporting.

Heads of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their appointments would end in January, two State Department officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Those affected by the changes are not losing their jobs in the Foreign Service and may return to Washington for other assignments if they choose to take them, the officials said.

All of the recalled ambassadors took office during the administration of President Joseph Biden but remained in their posts after the initial purge at the beginning of Trump’s second term in January, when mainly political appointees were targeted. That changed on Wednesday, when they began receiving notices from Washington that they should depart, according to the Associated Press.

The State Department did not comment on the specific number of personnel or ambassadors affected, but said the move is part of a standard process in every administration. As stated, an ambassador is “the personal representative of the president, and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance his ‘America First’ agenda.”

Africa has been the region most affected by the dismissals, with ambassadors recalled from 13 countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda.

Asia ranks second, with ambassadorial changes in six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

In Europe dismissals occurred in Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia.

In the Middle East, ambassadors were recalled in two countries - Algeria and Egypt, as well as in South and Central Asia (in Nepal and Sri Lanka)  and in the Western Hemisphere - in Guatemala and Suriname.