US Weighs Blocking Macron's Envoy

The Trump administration is considering delaying or even blocking Aurélien Lechevallier's appointment as France's next ambassador to Washington after Paris publicly criticized the United States over human rights, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

No decision has been made. Two sources said a social media post by France's mission to the United Nations in Geneva on X sparked anger among senior Trump administration officials. Two others said some US officials were working to defuse the dispute.

The French mission criticized Washington after it joined Russia, North Korea and seven other countries in voting against extending the mandate of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, an outspoken critic of Israel's conduct in Gaza who has also called for investigations into deaths in US immigration custody.

The post read: “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."

The appointment requires the confidential consent of the US government. France had hoped Lechevallier would take up the post by September.

Relations between the two allies have deteriorated during Trump's second term amid disputes over tariffs, the war with Iran and comments by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot about possible US interference in European elections.

(Reuters, bak)