Trump, his children will make US a ‘banana republic’: Report

US State Department officials are increasingly concerned that President-elect Donald Trump will make America a “banana republic” by allowing his adult children to assume the role of freelance ambassadors, a report says.

“It makes us look like we’re some sort of banana republic,” one State Department official told POLITICO in a report published on Tuesday. “This is not the way that grown-up nations do things.” The report did not reveal the name of the official.

State Department employees are very upset that Trump’s children could blur the line between their business affairs and America’s foreign affairs, the report said.

Last month, Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, was seen attending a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, creating fears among some circles the president-elect’s family will wield unparalleled influence over his political duties.

One of Trump’s sons reportedly discussed how to resolve the years-old Syrian crisis with pro-Russia figures. In addition, Trump even suggested that his Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner, could negotiate talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The report said US diplomats are worried that if Trump allows his children and other relatives to work as informal ambassadors, they could undermine the carefully structured efforts of the Foreign Service.

They are also concerned that other nations could manipulate Trump’s relatives to circumvent trained American diplomats. In addition, they are nervous that even if the incoming president stays away from his business activities, his children’s extensive corporate deals abroad could still undercut US foreign policy.

Some officials are wondering if Trump even realizes America has thousands of trained, and paid diplomats.