The National Journal published on 12 January 2026 an article titled "Trump's Ambassadors Are Largely Political Appointees" by Ledyard King.
As of January 1, 2026, 64 of the 70 nominated ambassadors--91 percent--have been political choices based on their ties to the Trump administration or the amount of money they donated to the Trump campaign. In a normal administration, at the end of four years, the ratio is about two-thirds career officers and one-third political appointees.
Comment: While the percentage of political appointees to career officers may change over the next three years, the outlook for career Foreign Service officers is pretty dismal.
