U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner stirs tensions in France while pushing Trump agenda

U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner has put the fight against antisemitism at the center of his tenure, sharply intensifying friction with Paris. Although his conduct has drawn reprimands and criticism, he is backed unreservedly by the Trump administration and is seen as a loyal messenger of the “America First” approach.

Kushner’s path to the post is unusual. He is a New Jersey real estate magnate who served prison time for tax evasion and witness tampering before receiving a presidential pardon. He openly says he lacks the traditional diplomatic style, but insists, “We are aiming for results, and if that means shaking the system sometimes, then we shake it.”

According to The New York Times, Kushner is also actively advancing U.S. interests beyond the public disputes. He has been working with ambassadors from the Middle East to expand the Abraham Accords, the normalization framework advanced by his son, Jared Kushner. He also raised $10 million from executives at French companies to help renovate the ambassador’s residence.

When asked about his unlikely route from prison to an embassy, Kushner replied with self-deprecating humor, saying that if someone wrote his life story, the book would probably belong on a science-fiction shelf rather than among nonfiction titles. He added that the job is “absolutely not” a personal vendetta.