United States Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius will continue his tenure as he is not subject to a recent directive from President-elect Donald Trump.
During an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday, Ambassador Osius confirmed that he would not be affected by Trump’s mandate, asserting that he would maintain his position until the end of his term, which is expected to be the end of this year.
Trump’s order is only applicable to those ambassadors who are political appointees, the U.S. diplomat elaborated, adding that he is a career diplomat.
About one-third of U.S. ambassadors across the world were politically appointed while the other two-thirds are career diplomats, he added.
Osius, born in 1961 in Maryland, has taken different diplomatic positions across Asia for nearly 25 years.
He was appointed to the ambassadorship in Vietnam by President Barack Obama on May 15, 2014, replacing David Shear, who took office in the country in 2011.
According to The New York Times, President-elect Trump's transition team has issued a mandate for politically appointed ambassadors installed by President Obama to leave their posts by Inauguration Day, January 20.
A senior Trump transition official told the newspaper there was no ill will in the move, stating it was to ensure that Obama's overseas envoys leave the government on schedule, just as thousands of political aides at the White House and in federal agencies must do.
On November 9, Trump stunned the world by defeating the heavily favored Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House, ending eight years of Democratic rule, according to Reuters.
The U.S. President-elect, a wealthy real estate developer and former reality TV host, collected well over the 270 electoral votes needed to win a four-year term beginning Jan 20, 2017.
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