US mulls blocking France’s DC ambassador pick over social media spat – sources
Times of Israel · LC · trust 36/100
Reuters — The United States is considering delaying, or even blocking, President Emmanuel Macron’s choice for France’s next ambassador to Washington following public French criticism of the US human rights record, according to four sources.
In a social media post on Saturday, France’s 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.
Turk is an outspoken critic of Israel’s conduct in Gaza who has also called for investigations into deaths in US immigration custody.
“The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore,” the French mission wrote. “The world no longer listens to it.”
While the sources said no decision has yet been taken, two said France’s criticism had sparked genuine anger among some senior officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration. Two other sources said officials were hoping to deescalate tensions with France.
“The United States is very disappointed in the irresponsible and disrespectful rhetoric from the French,” a State Department official said. “We are responding appropriately to their comments.”
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.
A US move to delay or reject Macron’s nominee would be highly unusual and could widen the fissure between the allies, who have recently clashed over tariffs and the Iran war.
Macron has filed the relevant paperwork for Aurélien Lechevallier, a former Elysee aide who is currently Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s chief of staff, to become France’s next ambassador to Washington. France had hoped to have him installed by September, one of the sources said.
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 https://t.co/GLNMsYEH9n pic.twitter.com/UTVvljTMeO
— France ONU Genève ???????????????? (@FranceONUGeneve) July 25, 2026
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 “disingenuous grandstanding.” France’s support for the renewal of Turk’s mandate “does not preclude close dialogue with the United States,” a French diplomatic official said.
“Differences of opinion regarding a vote do not call into question the quality of our relationship or our ability to work together,” the official added.
France has been a longstanding US ally, but relations have soured during Trump’s 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.
Even before the latest spat, Washington had been riled by Barrot’s public comments about the US government, one of the sources said.
Earlier this month, Barrot posted on X about a State Department program that offered funding of up to $3 million to groups promoting “civilizational self-confidence” in Europe.
The funding was offered by the State Department’s 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.
“France and the Europeans will not tolerate any attempt at foreign interference in their electoral processes, regardless of where it comes from,” Barrot wrote.
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’s daughter Ivanka, has twice failed to appear to summons in Paris following diplomatic incidents.
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.
Washington rarely slow-walks or rejects nominees publicly, diplomatic sources said, with concerns typically resolved privately before a formal decision is made.
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’s election.
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