The political establishment is bracing for impact. Donald Trump is not playing around anymore.
Because President Trump’s secret day one executive orders have leaked and set D.C. into a frenzy.
Trump Administration to Reshape State Department, Pushing for Key Changes
President-elect Donald Trump is poised to implement significant changes at the State Department, moving swiftly to install new officials into top roles with the aim of aligning the department’s operations with his “America First” foreign policy agenda. A source familiar with the matter revealed to Fox News that Trump’s team intends to fill key positions at the State Department from day one, ensuring that the department reflects the priorities and vision of the incoming administration.
Typically, career diplomats occupy senior positions at the State Department while political appointees await Senate confirmation. However, the Trump team is taking a different approach by placing dozens of “senior bureau officials” in critical operational roles. These officials will be tasked with overseeing career employees to ensure the department’s policies align with Trump’s objectives. According to the source, the transition team has already identified the senior officials who will assume these roles, marking a proactive move to restructure the department early in the administration.
This shake-up is expected to impact more than 20 key positions at the State Department. Reuters reported that Trump officials have already requested several senior diplomats to step aside, pushing the total number of positions affected by this initiative to approximately 30. These roles include undersecretaries and leaders of key regional, policy, and communications bureaus within the department.
A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team defended the decision, stating, “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.” This statement reflects Trump’s intent to overhaul the department to better align with his administration’s goals.
State Department Veterans Asked to Step Aside
As part of this overhaul, three senior career diplomats have been asked to leave their positions. According to Reuters, Dereck Hogan, Marcia Bernicat, and Alaina Teplitz, all seasoned diplomats who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, were asked to step down. These diplomats are responsible for overseeing the State Department’s workforce and internal coordination.
Notably, career diplomats traditionally do not resign when a new administration takes over, unlike political appointees. The departure of these seasoned professionals just goes to show the real shift taking place within the department under the Trump administration. Critics might view this move as part of an effort to reshape the “deep state”—a term Trump has often used to refer to entrenched bureaucrats he believes are working against his agenda.
Trump has long been critical of what he perceives as the “Deep State Department.” During his first term, he labeled the State Department as part of the “deep state,” alleging that career diplomats were undermining his foreign policy initiatives. This reorganization could be seen as a continuation of Trump’s efforts to dismantle what he considers an establishment that resists his agenda.
In tandem with the reorganization at the State Department, Trump’s Secretary of State nominee, Marco Rubio, has pledged to bring the department back in line with the president’s vision. During his confirmation hearing, Rubio emphasized the need to refocus the State Department on the “America First” agenda and make the agency “relevant again.”
Rubio expressed frustration that, over the past two decades, the influence of the State Department has waned, particularly in relation to the National Security Council. “What has happened over the last 20 years under multiple administrations is the influence of the State Department has declined at the expense of other agencies, and also at the expense of National Security Councils, because it takes so long for the State Department to take action,” Rubio said. “Increasingly, you stop getting invited to the meetings, and they stop putting you in charge of things because it takes too long to get a result.”
Rubio’s comments reflect his belief that the department’s core mission has become ill-defined and that it must be restructured to meet modern challenges. “We want the State Department to be relevant again,” he said, highlighting the department’s potential to lead on global issues, if only it were better organized and more responsive.
A Cultural Shift at the State Department
Rubio’s remarks also underscored his desire to address the internal inertia he believes has hindered the State Department’s effectiveness. “The State Department has a plethora of talented people who are subject-matter experts and who have skills in diplomacy. And it’s not being fully utilized,” he stated. “We have to be at that table when decisions are being made, and the State Department has to be a source of creative ideas and effective implementation.”
Alongside these leadership changes, Rep. Brian Mast, a Republican from Florida and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has voiced his concerns about the direction the department has taken under previous administrations. He has pledged to root out officials who have supported what he refers to as “woke” programs funded by the department, including those promoting controversial initiatives abroad. Mast expressed a desire to dismantle programs that he views as disconnected from U.S. national security interests, such as funding for “drag shows” abroad, which he argues are not aligned with the country’s strategic priorities.
“If you have people that are writing grants nefariously supporting a radical agenda… then they should be aware that we’ll be looking for them, and we will be looking for creating authorities to make sure that their existence doesn’t continue in the State Department,” Mast warned.
By bringing in new officials and asking seasoned diplomats to step aside, the administration is working to ensure that its vision for U.S. foreign policy is implemented from day one. This move also aligns with Trump’s broader campaign against the “deep state” and his efforts to overhaul government institutions that he believes have grown out of step with the needs and priorities of the American people.
The Federalist Wire will update you on any major changes brought to the State Department under Donald Trump’s second administration.
