In a sharp departure from decades of diplomatic tradition, the United States has decided to drastically scale back its practice of commenting on foreign elections. According to a memo obtained by the Wall Street Journal, newly appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed the US State Department to limit assessments of the fairness or legitimacy of elections abroad, unless there is a “clear and compelling US foreign policy interest to do so.”

This move represents a fundamental shift in how Washington projects its values on the global stage. For years-particularly under the administrations of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama-promoting democracy and transparency in governance formed the cornerstone of US foreign policy. The Biden administration doubled down on this strategy, openly criticizing elections in countries such as Belarus and Georgia for what it described as democratic backsliding.

But under Rubio’s directive, the State Department and US embassies are now instructed to “avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy, or the democratic values of the country in question.” Instead, diplomatic messages should “focus on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests.”

This policy overhaul is consistent with President Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine, which emphasized pragmatic engagement over ideological intervention. The memo explicitly frames the change as part of this approach, stating that the US will “pursue........

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