Out diplomat Rufus Gifford sworn into prestigious ceremonial role in State Department

Rufus Gifford was sworn in as the Chief of Protocol this week, along with 30 other ambassador appointees in the Biden administration. Gifford, the former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark during President Barack Obama’s second term in office, is returning to the State Department for the prestigious position after being appointed by President Joe Biden as the first out man to the position.

Gifford will act as a liaison between the foreign diplomatic corps in Washington and the administration, oversee State Department and Blair House functions, and travel with the president frequently. The Chief of Protocol is expected to welcome foreign officials, manage the president’s official guesthouse at Blair House, and maintain the United States’ diplomatic protocol. Chiefs of Protocol also hold the titles of Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State.

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“Today, with my right hand in the air, my left hand on an American flag which flew over Embassy Copenhagen given to me by the Marines five years ago, my wonderful husband by my side and my head and my heart full of emotion I took the oath to serve as Chief of Protocol of the United States with the rank of Ambassador,” Gifford wrote across social media on January 3. “An honor like this so rarely comes around – let alone twice – and I promise to serve with dignity, respect and heart.

His expected nomination in December 2020, with Axios noting that the chief’s hand is “usually the first shaken by a dignitary upon arriving in the United States.” Gifford was confirmed in December.

Today, with my right hand in the air, my left hand on an American flag which flew over Embassy Copenhagen given to me by the Marines five years ago, my wonderful husband by my side and my head and my heart full of emotion… pic.twitter.com/8Qw2KmfAMS

— Rufus Gifford (@rufusgifford) January 3, 2022

I took the oath to serve as Chief of Protocol of the United States with the rank of Ambassador