Historically, the job of American ambassadors posted to friendly countries has been to quietly smooth over disagreements where they arise. The envoys dispatched to Europe by President Donald Trump, however, are increasingly finding themselves at the heart of controversies themselves.
France demanded an explanation Tuesday from Charles Kushner, the American ambassador in Paris, for why he failed to show up when summoned to explain comments made last week by the Trump administration that France objected to.
The State Department said it was concerned that “violent radical leftism is on the rise” after the killing of a French far-right activist.
In response, France temporarily barred Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, from meeting with any French officials.
“When these explanations have taken place, then the U.S. ambassador in France will naturally regain access to members of the French government,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the broadcaster France Info early Tuesday.
Until then, Kushner's ban “will naturally affect his capacity to exercise his mission in our country,” Barrot said.
An explanation came later on Tuesday when Kushner called Barrot, who told the American envoy that France would not accept “any form of interference or manipulation of its national public debate,” according to a Foreign Ministry official.
“The ambassador took note, expressed his desire not to interfere in our public debate,” the official added.
France-U.S. tensions flared when Quentin Deranque, 23, a far-right activist, died from brain injuries last month after he was beaten during left-right violence on the margins of a student meeting in the city of Lyon.
Seven people have been handed preliminary charges in connection with the death, including an aide to a lawmaker for the leftist France Unbowed (LFI) party, which has condemned the killing.
Last week, the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau posted to X that Deranque's killing “by left-wing militants, should concern us all.”
“Violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation and expect to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice,” it added.
The U.S. Embassy in Paris reposted that statement on X.
A French diplomatic official told NBC News on Sunday that Kushner had been summoned to the French Foreign Ministry, the Quai d’Orsay.
“He did not show up,” according to a statement from a senior official at the ministry Monday.
The comments on Deranque concerned a “tragedy that occurred in France and concerns only our national public debate — which we refuse to allow to be exploited,” the official said.
“Faced with this apparent misunderstanding of the basic expectations of an ambassador who has the honor of representing his country, the minister requested that he no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government.”
Kushner can still “smooth over the irritants that inevitably arise in a 250-year-old friendships” if he shows up to the ministry, the official added.
