The Undiplomatic Diplomats

"American diplomats are supposed to represent the nation, advocate for the interests and policies of the U.S. government, and stay on generally good terms with the country to which they're assigned. Even when they are sent to places that have an adversarial relationship with the United States, they are expected to maintain decorum while conveying messages these regimes may not want to hear."

"Some of President Trump's ambassadors, however, are a different type: They seem to think that their job is to carry their boss's boorishness and petty grievances abroad. Ambassadors are supposed to represent the president, but these incompetent emissaries take that concept to an extreme, and they have managed to get into needless conflicts with America's friends in France, Poland, Iceland, and Chile, among others."

"Summoning an ambassador is a standard diplomatic action; it usually happens when a host government wants clarification about, or to express displeasure over, something an ambassador's nation has done or said. In this case, the State Department had injected itself into the aftermath of the far-right French activist Quentin Deranque's murder by posting on X that he was killed by violent leftists."

American diplomats are expected to represent national interests, advocate for U.S. policies, and maintain professional decorum even with adversarial nations. However, some of President Trump's ambassadors have deviated from this standard by exporting their boss's combative style abroad. These ambassadors have created unnecessary conflicts with allied countries including France, Poland, Iceland, and Chile. A notable example involves U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner in Paris, who refused a summons from the French government after the State Department posted on X about a far-right activist's death, characterizing it as a leftist killing. France viewed this as interference in internal affairs. Kushner's refusal to appear escalated tensions significantly, resulting in France prohibiting him from meeting with government officials.

Read at The Atlantic