Biden-era directive for diplomats to peddle DEI on foreign governments scrapped by State Department
Trump administration says diplomats should advocate national interests, not 'woke political dogmas,' on the world stage
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump's State Department is dumping Biden-era guidelines that directed personnel to push a woke Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) agenda on foreign officials and governments.
"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.
Official Biden-era guideline documents obtained by Fox News Digital show the previous administration directing employees to peddle woke gibberish in high-level discussions and bilateral dialogue with foreign counterparts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S, President Donald Trump, alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L), speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images)
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"Do Front Offices routinely raise social inclusion, racial/gender equity, disability, and LGBTQI+ issues with high-level host country interlocutors, especially in countries where these issues are problematic, and are these issues included in bilateral dialogues, whenever appropriate?" the document asks.
A Front Office is the immediate leadership and executive staff suite for a specific State Department bureau, directorate or office, which exist worldwide.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Biden guidelines weren't just suggestions.
Under the previous president, the State Department considered how well personnel and staff had adopted the DEI policies in official reviews and considerations when it came to promoting an individual.
Fox News Digital confirmed that those criteria no longer exist when assessing job performance at Trump's State Department.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers an opening statement during the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with the U.S. on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Eloisa Lopez/Pool Reuters via AP)
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Another section of the document discussed "allyship."
"Do you speak up – in the moment – to support colleagues and try to help all understand when there might be bias that undermines inclusivity?" the document questions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This includes actively working to break down not just race/ethnicity/gender/LGBTQI+/disability biases, but also bias among the civil service and foreign service, U.S. direct hires and contracting colleagues, and within foreign service cones."
It also demanded that employees take initiative to learn DEI on their own, instead of "depending on others — particularly others from historically marginalized groups" to help them.
Similarly, the document demanded that Front Offices ensure each employee supported a "DEIA Council," or, if a Front Office did not have a council, supported the creation of one.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, attends a meeting with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states in Manama, Bahrain, on Thursday, June 25, 2026. (Eric Lee/Pool Photo via AP)
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"How is bias discussed and mitigated both within the mission and in interactions with the host nation?" the document asks. "What types of localized DEIA trainings are being developed to engage all job categories — both [U.S. Direct Hire] and [Locally Employed] staff at Post? Is there a channel for [Locally Employed] staff, [Entry Level Officers], and other groups sometimes excluded from interaction with senior staff to be able to share ideas or give commentary on how to advance DEIA more effectively?"
Pigott said that under President Trump's leadership, the State Department is solely focused on meeting the demands of diplomacy, not playing political games.
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"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," he said.