US ambassador in France snubs official summons over controversial social media post
It is the second time Charles Kushner has failed to attend a summons from the French Foreign Ministry
Ambassador Charles Kushner (pictured) failed to attend the summons saying he had a prior engagement
Credit: Sipa USA / Alamy Stock Photo
France’s Foreign Ministry has called for the US ambassador to France to lose direct access to the government after he failed to attend a summons from the ministry following a controversial social media post.
Ambassador Charles Kushner (father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner) was summoned following a post on the ‘X’ account of the official US Embassy in France.
The message, posted on Friday February 20, commented on the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque.
“Violent left-wing extremism 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 hope that the perpetrators of this violence will be brought to justice,” said the message.
Summons non-attendance provokes angry response
The tweet led to a summons by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, scheduled for Monday evening (February 23).
“We reject any exploitation of this tragedy… for political ends,” the minister said in an interview with media outlet France Inter on Sunday, prior to the summons.
Mr Kushner did not attend, however, saying he had a prior engagement. Instead, he sent a deputy from the embassy to the meeting.
This apparent snubbing led to an angry response from the ministry.
“Faced with this apparent misunderstanding of the basic expectations of an ambassador's mission, which involves representing his country, the Minister [Jean-Noël Barrot] has requested that [Mr Kushner] no longer have direct access to members of the French government,” said a source from the ministry.
However, the ministry is open to reversing the breakdown in communications, providing Mr Kushner appears.
“It remains, of course, possible that ambassador Charles Kushner will carry out his duties and visit the Quai d'Orsay so that we can have the diplomatic discussions necessary to smooth over the irritations that inevitably arise in a 250-year-old friendship,” the same source added.
Second summons snubbing in less than a year
It is the second time that the US ambassador has refused a summons by French authorities.
In August 2025, he was summoned by the Foreign Ministry after comments about French President Emmanuel Macron.
He said the French president had failed to sufficiently tackle antisemitism in France.
However, he was said to be ‘unavailable’ in Paris at the time and the chargé d'affaires of the US embassy attended in Mr Kushner’s place.
‘Summoning’ an ambassador is rare, and usually only used in serious instances.
However, it is even rarer for an ambassador to not attend a summons.
