The Department of State has asked civil servants up for promotions who they voted for in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections.
Top State Department officials have indicated that the only candidates eligible for mid-to-upper level foreign service roles were people who had supported President Donald Trump, and that political donations to any Democrat would be disqualifying, The Washington Sun reported Thursday.
The publication spoke to six current and former State Department officials with knowledge of these conversations, including three sources who spoke directly to employees who were asked about their politics.
Federal law prohibits federal officials from making personnel decisions based on political affiliation, but it has seemingly become a regular practice during the second Trump administration. This latest move comes as the State Department has attempted to push out its most senior career officials, in order to ensure the top ranks are all politically loyal to the current president.
In a statement to the Sun, a spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment on the outlet’s reporting about voting history questions, but expounded on the importance of employees’ “fidelity.”
“Fidelity means upholding the Constitution and the law and executing policy with loyalty to the American people and their interests,” the spokesperson said. “It emphasizes the critical importance of service, integrity, and policy alignment across the Foreign Service. It is not about partisan behavior but rather about executing the president’s vision for foreign policy.”
In July 2025, the State Department added a “fidelity” section to the foreign service’s performance-evaluation process, requiring managers to assess whether their employees had succeeded at “completely aligning oneself and one’s team to the most current [U.S. government] goals.”
Apparently, the agency has taken that to mean high-ranking diplomats are required to have personally supported all of Trump’s bids for presidency over the last decade.