Trump administration removes DEI ideology from US Foreign Service training

In a fact sheet released on August 13, the department said an internal review found DEI-related content had been incorporated into Foreign Service training and personnel materials under the previous administration. The Trump administration has since removed what it described as ideological and discriminatory DEI content from Foreign Service training.

According to the department, the materials included reading lists featuring works on critical race theory, guidance encouraging diplomats to discuss DEI issues with senior foreign officials, and training on topics such as “white privilege,” systemic racism and Black Lives Matter in foreign-language instruction.

The review also identified guidance on pronoun use, microaggressions and unconscious bias, as well as a DEI promotion metric for Foreign Service officers. DEI instruction had also been included in Foreign Service orientation and public diplomacy courses.

The State Department said the reforms are intended to refocus Foreign Service training on diplomatic skills and foreign policy objectives that serve the common interests of the American people.

It described U.S. diplomats as the nation’s first line of defense against hostile powers, terrorists, deadly narcotics smuggling, illegal immigration and other threats. The department said it is continuing modernization reforms and encouraged Americans with the skill and spirit to represent the United States abroad to apply to join the Foreign Service.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Trump signed new orders seeking to limit birthright citizenship.