The United States is delaying the approval of President Emmanuel Macron‘s candidate for the position of French ambassador to Washington amid a dispute over human rights at the United Nations, according to three sources familiar with the conflict.
The delay in approving the new ambassador indicates that diplomatic tensions between the two countries are still simmering, despite Macron possibly charming US President Donald Trump with flattery and an elegant dinner at the Palace of Versailles during his June visit to France. Aurélien Lechevallier, a long-time associate of Macron, was supposed to take up the post next month, but his appointment has not yet been approved by the US State Department—a process that is usually a formality between allied countries.
According to two sources familiar with the situation, the Trump administration was outraged by a social media post from the French mission to the UN in Geneva, which criticized Washington’s decision to side with Russia and North Korea against the renewal of the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “The US was once a beacon of human rights. No more,” the French mission wrote on X last month. “And the world no longer listens to them.” This post prompted the US delegation to leave a UN Security Council meeting in protest.
“The United States is very disappointed by the irresponsible and disrespectful rhetoric of the French,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to a written question about the approval process for Lechevallier. “We are responding to their comments appropriately.” Türk, an Austrian national who has held the position of High Commissioner since 2022, has drawn the ire of the US for his criticism of the country’s immigration policy and Israel’s war in Gaza. Two of these individuals also expressed hope that the dispute, first reported by Reuters, would subside and that Washington would not block Lechevallier‘s appointment.
Fluctuating relations and diplomatic tension
This dispute illustrates the fluctuating relations between the US and its oldest ally, France. Although Macron and Trump have shared moments of camaraderie in front of the cameras, they have diametrically opposed worldviews and regularly clash over NATO, Ukraine, and trade relations. Trump‘s participation in the June G7 summit in Evian was highly praised as a culmination in relations when the US president showed signs of support for Ukraine and extended his visit to France to join Macron and his wife for dinner at the gilded Palace of Versailles.
“We have our ups and downs in relations with the US,” said a former French official who remains informed about transatlantic relations. Macron is capable of challenging American pressure at the Economic Forum in Davos, but “can also embrace President Trump and invite him to sign his Iran deal in Versailles.” The delay in the approval process for Lechevallier will ultimately become “an anecdote,” the former official noted, who, like others quoted here, was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic. “But it confirms that we are not afraid of confrontation” with Washington, he added.
However, for a high-ranking member of Macron‘s “Renaissance” party, the fact that the US is targeting a high-ranking French diplomat is “staggering.” Lechevallier is currently the chief of staff to Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and was a classmate of Macron at the prestigious École Nationale d’Administration (ENA). “We were extremely cooperative, even attentive, regarding Iran… We were polite and diplomatic. And we are faced with something that is a bit humiliating,” the official said.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the prolonged approval process for Lechevallier and has not publicly protested. But Paris has also not backed down from its criticism of human rights compliance in the US. “Our position was known. We supported the renewal of the High Commissioner’s mandate,” a French diplomat said. “Differences of opinion regarding the [UN] vote do not call into question the strength of our relations or our ability to work together.”
Last month, the US voted against the renewal of Türk‘s term, accusing him of leading the UN human rights system “to its deathbed.” Despite the personal relationship between Trump and Macron, the dispute arises amid growing diplomatic tensions with the US. Barrot sharply criticized Washington for its military intervention in Venezuela as well as its threats regarding Greenland. He also promised that France would never succumb to American “blackmail” regarding trade tariffs.
Relations with the US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner have also soured due to his perceived lecturing on combating anti-Semitism in France and his alleged interference in French political life. Kushner, the father of Trump‘s son-in-law Jared, has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs twice. “Kushner had problems [with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs]… He was humiliated. Perhaps this is also retaliation,” said a former French diplomat.
