- Obama and Clinton-era alumni were named to top jobs at the United Nations just before and after Trump’s inauguration, enabling them to maintain Democrats’ influence on international affairs.
- People opposed to President Donald Trump’s policies permeate the State Department and U.N. bureaucracies and seemingly resist the administration’s agenda.
- The U.S. often has influence over which Americans are hired into top jobs at international organizations, but non-insiders often aren’t aware of their importance.
Obama-era Democrats are still influencing foreign affairs, now through jobs at the United Nations and at other international organizations where Americans can help shape international politics in ways at odds with the Trump administration.
Before and after the start of Donald Trump’s presidency, Obama- and Clinton-aligned politicos took the positions, which are not U.S. government jobs but generally are the result of lobbying by U.S. officials. Many are entitled to keep the jobs indefinitely once they are in them.
Tensions between the Trump administration and employees in the foreign service and international organizations — including some that serve at the pleasure of the president — have repeatedly come to the fore in recent weeks.