No-shows by Trump's envoy to France increase diplomatic friction

By Gabriel Stargardter

PARIS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Charles Kushner shows no interest in learning French, pays little heed to the strict codes of Parisian bureaucracy and causes consternation in the nation that shaped modern diplomacy.

Since arriving in Paris last summer, President Donald Trump's top emissary to France has upended French expectations of how a U.S. ambassador should behave, underlining a brash new breed of America-first diplomacy across Europe.

The choice of Kushner for a job once held by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson has long raised eyebrows in Paris.

OPEN LETTER TO MACRON

A property mogul with no previous diplomatic experience, Kushner served a federal U.S. jail sentence for illegal campaign contributions and tax evasion, but was pardoned by Trump in 2020. His son Jared is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka.

Kushner landed with a bang in Paris, writing an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron weeks after his arrival in which he accused France of not doing enough to tackle antisemitism.

Macron called Kushner's comments an "unacceptable statement for somebody who is supposed to be a diplomat," and the envoy was summoned to the foreign ministry, but did not show up.

Kushner, 71, also failed to appear on Monday when summoned after the embassy re-posted on X comments by the U.S. State Department's Counterterrorism bureau following the killing of a French far-right activist.

A French diplomatic source said Kushner would be barred from meeting government officials after Monday's no-show. Kushner called Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, a source close to Barrot said on Tuesday, and "expressed his desire not to interfere in our public debate." They agreed to meet in the coming days, the source added.

The U.S. Embassy in Paris has yet to comment on the incident, and did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. Neither did the State Department.

Julien Jeanneney, a French public law professor and expert on the U.S. Supreme Court, said Kushner and France's foreign ministry had been locked in a "power struggle" since Kushner's letter on antisemitism was published.

"The function of a diplomat is not to lecture the country where he is posted, at least not publicly," Jeanneney said. "Publishing such a letter goes against basic diplomatic customs. And not responding to the summons from the foreign minister is ... a sign of defiance."

TRUMP AMBASSADORS RUFFLE FEATHERS IN EUROPE

Trump-appointed ambassadors have been causing a stir across Europe, which the president's administration says risks "civilisational erasure."

In Poland, U.S. Ambassador Tom Rose broke ties with the speaker of parliament after he declined to support Trump's Nobel Peace Prize ambitions. In Belgium, U.S. Ambassador Bill White was summoned by Belgium's foreign ministry after alleging antisemitism over a clampdown on unsanctioned circumcisions.

Relations between Paris and Trump's team have been strained over issues including trade, European territorial sovereignty, digital regulation and free speech.

Yet Kushner, an Orthodox Jew, is more driven by concerns about antisemitism than by seeking to Make America Great Again, U.S. and French sources say.

"I don't see him with a MAGA cap," said Nicolas Conquer, who runs a MAGA-inspired French think tank and speaks with Kushner's team. "He is not the standard-bearer of MAGA in France."

Philippe Karsenty, the spokesman of the Comité Trump France who has met Kushner several times, said the U.S. ambassador views antisemitism as a deadly virus that affects the body politic, and was determined it be stopped before it is too late.

"It is about ensuring that France in 2026 is not France in 1939."

U.S. sources acknowledged Kushner's open letter went down badly in France, but said it jolted Paris officials into action. Antisemitic acts surged to record highs after the start of the Gaza war in 2023, but fell 16% last year compared with 2024.

French and U.S. officials also said Kushner's proximity to Trump was a plus, even if Macron largely chooses to speak to Trump directly by cellphone.

Kushner speaks no French and has shown little aptitude for it, both French and U.S. officials said. He relies heavily on his chief of staff, Gabriel Scheinmann, a fluent French speaker adept at navigating France's political class, they said.

Kushner also goes to bed early and often begins firing off emails around 4.30 a.m., French and U.S. officials said.

"He wakes up early, goes to bed early, does not host useless receptions," Karsenty said. "He meets very few unnecessary people. He is not at an age to learn a language, and he did not come for that. He came to act."