Trump Touts State Department Scrapping Biden-Era DEI Diplomacy Directive

Trump promotes the State Department's decision to end a Biden-era guideline that directed U.S. diplomats to push diversity, equity and inclusion in talks with foreign governments.

First Published: August 16, 2026, 5:35 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump promoted the State Department’s decision to scrap a Biden-era directive that told U.S. diplomats to push diversity, equity and inclusion with foreign governments.

The department dismantled guidelines that directed personnel to raise social inclusion, racial and gender equity, disability and LGBTQI+ issues with high-level host country counterparts, according to foxnews. “Under the Trump Administration, America’s diplomats are tasked with advocating for our national interests on the world stage — not demonstrating adherence to woke political dogmas,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital according to foxnews.

“The State Department is implementing sweeping reforms to the Foreign Service to prioritize merit, refocus training on tangible diplomatic skills, and prepare our nation’s diplomats to deliver America’s answer to our most pressing challenges,” Pigott said according to foxnews.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Biden-era directive for diplomats to peddle DEI on foreign governments scrapped by State Department: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-era-directive-diplomats-peddle-dei-foreign-governments-scrapped-state-department” on August 16, 2026 at 9:25 AM ET.

This is Trump’s third message released today, and the last post was 0 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 60 of his 538 posts over the last 30 days classified as Foreign Policy posts.

The repeal removes DEI criteria from how the department evaluates staff. Under the previous administration, the State Department weighed how well personnel had adopted DEI policies during official promotion reviews, according to foxnews. Fox News Digital confirmed that those criteria no longer apply when the department assesses job performance, according to foxnews. The change refocuses American diplomacy on core national security interests and traditional relations, according to facebook.

The stakes fall on Foreign Service officers whose reviews once measured DEI adoption and on foreign counterparts who faced questions about social inclusion in bilateral talks. Career diplomats now face merit-based assessments tied to diplomatic skills. Officials who built DEIA councils lose the mandate that once required each mission to support one, according to foxnews.

Guideline documents obtained by Fox News Digital show the earlier policy asked whether Front Offices routinely raised racial and gender equity, disability and LGBTQI+ issues with host country officials, according to foxnews. A Front Office is the immediate leadership and executive staff suite for a State Department bureau, directorate or office. Another section pressed employees on “allyship” and demanded they learn DEI on their own rather than rely on colleagues from historically marginalized groups, according to foxnews.

Trump promoted the report by mentioning the source (see foxnews). The post links directly to the Fox News Digital article carrying the department’s statements.

The next decision on how the Foreign Service measures performance rests with the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who leads the reform effort. A date for further guidance has not been announced.