Priorities and Mission of the Second Trump Administration’s Department of State

Serving as America’s 72nd Secretary of State is the highest honor of my professional life.  President Trump has given me a clear direction to place our core national interest as the guiding mission of American foreign policy.  Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions:  

 To advance our national interest, we will build a more innovative, nimble, and focused State Department.  This will require replacing some priorities, deemphasizing some issues, and eliminating some practices. 

 First, we must curb mass migration and secure our borders.  The State Department will no longer undertake any activities that facilitate or encourage mass migration.  Our diplomatic relations with other countries, particularly in the Western Hemisphere, will prioritize securing America’s borders, stopping illegal and destabilizing migration, and negotiating the repatriation of illegal immigrants. 

Next, we must reward performance and merit, including within the State Department ranks.  President Trump issued an executive order eliminating “DEIA” requirements, programs, and offices throughout the government.  This order will be faithfully executed and observed in both letter and spirit. 

Relatedly, we must return to the basics of diplomacy by eliminating our focus on political and cultural causes that are divisive at home and deeply unpopular abroad.  This will allow us to conduct a pragmatic foreign policy in cooperation with other nations to advance our core national interests. 

We must stop censorship and suppression of information.  The State Department’s efforts to combat malign propaganda have expanded and fundamentally changed since the Cold War era and we must reprioritize truth.  The State Department I lead will support and defend Americans’ rights to free speech, terminating any programs that in any way lead to censoring the American people.  While we will combat genuine enemy propaganda, we will do so only with the fundamental truth that America is a great and just country whose people are generous and whose leaders now prioritize Americans’ core interests while respecting the rights and interests of other nations.  

 Finally, we must leverage our strengths and do away with climate policies that weaken America.  While we will not ignore threats to our natural environment and will support sensible environmental protections, the State Department will use diplomacy to help President Trump fulfill his promise for a return to American energy dominance. 

In short, President Trump’s forward-looking agenda for our country and foreign relations will guide the State Department’s refocus on American national interests.  Amid today’s reemerging great power rivalry, I will empower our talented diplomatic corps to advance our mission to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.