Seventeen months into President Donald Trump's (R) second administration, a historically high number of ambassador posts remain vacant. According to the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), an unprecedentedly high percentage of ambassadors appointed during Trump's second term have been political appointees.
Ambassadors are the highest-ranking U.S. representative to their appointed countries or international organizations. Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants the president the authority to appoint ambassadors with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.
When an ambassadorial post is vacant, a chargé d’affaires ad interim serves as the senior officer in charge of the mission. According to the Wall Street Journal, these officials do not have the same level of access and influence as an ambassador.
