ABOVE: Rufus Gifford (L) is sworn in. (Photo via Facebook)
Rufus Gifford, recently confirmed by the U.S Senate as the State Department of chief of protocol, was sworn-in on Jan. 3 for the role, setting him up for a influential position on foreign policy within the Biden administration.
“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 in a public Facebook post. “An honor like this so rarely comes around – let alone twice – and I promise to serve with dignity, respect and heart.”
During the 2020 presidential primary, Gifford early on endorsed Biden for president and became a top adviser and deputy campaign manager for the campaign. Biden nominated Gifford as State Department chief of protocol last year and the Senate confirmed him unanimously in December by voice vote.
The chief of protocol for the State Department is responsible for being on the front-lines of engagement in U.S. foreign policy, which means being the gateway between foreign leaders and the president. For example, Gifford would likely be a point person for any meeting between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, making an openly gay man the face of the United States for a country in talks with a leader who has rolled back LGBTQ rights and looked the other way from violence against LGBTQ people in Chechnya.
According to a White House bio, Gifford is actively engaged as a civil society leader and has promoted and sponsored a variety of organizations, including UTEC in Lowell, Massachusetts, the LGBT History Museum in New York, the Human Rights Campaign and the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Mass. Gifford received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1996.
