{"id":58925,"date":"2026-07-30T01:52:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T01:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/58925\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T01:52:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T01:52:23","slug":"us-mulls-blocking-frances-dc-ambassador-pick-over-social-media-spat-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/58925\/","title":{"rendered":"US mulls blocking France’s DC ambassador pick over social media spat – sources"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reuters \u2014 The United States is considering delaying, or even blocking, President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s choice for France\u2019s next ambassador to Washington following public French criticism of the US human rights record, according to four sources.<\/p>\n

In a social media post on Saturday, France\u2019s mission to the United Nations in Geneva criticized Washington for joining Israel, Russia, North Korea, and other countries in voting against a proposal to extend the mandate of Volker Turk, the UN human rights chief, for another four years.<\/p>\n

Turk is an outspoken critic of Israel\u2019s conduct in Gaza who has also called for investigations into deaths in US immigration custody.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore,\u201d the French mission wrote. \u201cThe world no longer listens to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the sources said no decision has yet been taken, two said France\u2019s criticism had sparked genuine anger among some senior officials in US President Donald Trump\u2019s administration. Two other sources said officials were hoping to deescalate tensions with France.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe United States is very disappointed in the irresponsible and disrespectful rhetoric from the French,\u201d a State Department official said. \u201cWe are responding appropriately to their comments.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the sources said the post had been reviewed and approved through official channels, dismissing suggestions that it was the work of a junior staffer acting independently.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFrench diplomat Aurelien Lechevallier at the Elysee palace in Paris, on November 28, 2024. (Thomas SAMSON\/AFP)<\/p>\n

A US move to delay or reject Macron\u2019s nominee would be highly unusual and could widen the fissure between the allies, who have recently clashed over tariffs and the Iran war.<\/p>\n

Macron has filed the relevant paperwork for Aur\u00e9lien Lechevallier, a former Elysee aide who is currently Foreign Minister Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot\u2019s chief of staff, to become France\u2019s next ambassador to Washington. France had hoped to have him installed by September, one of the sources said.<\/p>\n

The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it.#AmericaAlone<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/GLNMsYEH9n<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/UTVvljTMeO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 France ONU Gen\u00e8ve ???????????????? (@FranceONUGeneve) July 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Tensions flared further on Monday when the US delegation walked out as France addressed a United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine, accusing its ally of \u201cdisingenuous grandstanding.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

France\u2019s support for the renewal of Turk\u2019s mandate \u201cdoes not preclude close dialogue with the United States,\u201d a French diplomatic official said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferences of opinion regarding a vote do not call into question the quality of our relationship or our ability to work together,\u201d the official added.<\/p>\n

Souring ties<\/p>\n

France has been a longstanding US ally, but relations have soured during Trump\u2019s second term. While Trump and Macron speak regularly, that has not stopped the US president from targeting France with tariffs, accusing European governments of suppressing right-wing voices, and threatening NATO allies over defense spending and Greenland.<\/p>\n

Even before the latest spat, Washington had been riled by Barrot\u2019s public comments about the US government, one of the sources said.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Barrot posted on X about a State Department program that offered funding of up to $3 million to groups promoting \u201ccivilizational self-confidence\u201d in Europe.<\/p>\n

The funding was offered by the State Department\u2019s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), whose officials offered to support far-right leader Marine Le Pen last year during her embezzlement trial.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrance and the Europeans will not tolerate any attempt at foreign interference in their electoral processes, regardless of where it comes from,\u201d Barrot wrote.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot at the Place de la Concorde before the start of the annual Bastille Day military parade in Paris, France, July 14, 2026. (Benoit Tessier\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

French officials have also been irked by US Ambassador to Paris Charles Kushner, who is emblematic of a brash new breed of Trump-aligned diplomats causing consternation across Europe. Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Trump\u2019s daughter Ivanka, has twice failed to appear to summons in Paris following diplomatic incidents.<\/p>\n

The process of installing an ambassador in Washington is carefully prescribed. Before a foreign government can appoint its envoy, it must first secure the confidential consent of the US government.<\/p>\n

Washington rarely slow-walks or rejects nominees publicly, diplomatic sources said, with concerns typically resolved privately before a formal decision is made.<\/p>\n

Critics allege that a wave of recent Macron nominations and appointments to key jobs is part of an effort to install loyalists who can ensure his legacy and hedge against a potential victory by the far-right in next year\u2019s election.<\/p>\n


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