Trump's ambassador blocked by Paris, and Mélenchon falls into a political hole after far-left violence
Paris briefly froze access for Trump’s envoy after a provocative embassy intervention, as new polling shows Mélenchon’s LFI haemorrhaging legitimacy amid violence backlash
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This week
🇺🇸US Diplomat blocked from government meetings
⬇️La France Insoumise is in deep trouble
🇺🇸US Diplomat blocked from government meetings
So let’s start this week talking about American hubris again, shall we?
Last week, the American Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) Ambassador to the French Republic, Charles Kushner, who was made ambassador purely because his son, Jared Kushner, married Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, decided he was too good to do his job.
Y’know, typical corruption politics.
Summoned by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in February after the American government chose to just throw a bucket of fuel into French politics with a typically ill thought-out tweet about the Quentin Deranque killing:
“Reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all. Violent radical leftism 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 expect to see the perpetrators of violence brought to justice.”
This was translated into French by the U.S. Embassy France account, and despite the seriousness of the statement, Charles Kushner decided that he would send one of his team members instead of answering the summons himself.
And since the Americans chose to not only fuel political tension in France, and then completely ignore an Ambassadorial summons by his host country, Kushner was told immediately that he would be blocked from government meetings until further notice:
“It will, naturally, affect his capacity to exercise his mission in our country … [Kushner] is bringing difficulties on himself. Because for an ambassador to be able to do his job he needs access to members of the government. Those are the basics.
There is nothing more usual than summoning an ambassador when explanations need to be made … When these explanations have taken place, then the U.S. ambassador in France will, naturally, regain access to members of the French government.
We don't accept that foreign countries can come and interfere, invite themselves, into the national political debate,”
- Jean Noël Barot speaking to France Info
Fortunately, for the hapless Americans, Kushner had the intelligence to call Barot and actually start doing his job, with Barot apparently explaining to Kushner that France would not accept foreign intereference.
And according to the French foreign ministry, Kushner got the message and responded by taking note, expressing his wish to not interfere in French politics, and brought up the friendship that binds France and the United States.
You know, like helping them to win their war of independence.
Anywho, it seems Kushner may have been given access to the French government again, and will likely keep it until Donald Trump and his circus choose to make another gormless comment about immigration, baguettes, or the muslamics and their ray guns replacing white people.
⬇️La France Insoumise is in deep trouble
So, for the last few weeks, La France Insoumise have been having a tough time dealing with the consequences of their contribution to the French political scene’s instability, and their running commentary and excuses following the murder of Quentin Deranque,.
Which if you’ve missed it, you can read about here:
Quentin Deranque Case in Lyon: Seven Arrested, LFI Under Pressure, Macron and Merz Respond to Trump Tariffs
A homicide investigation in Lyon, mounting political pressure on La France Insoumise, and a growing EU pushback after Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
And things keep getting worse.
Firstly, the Conseil d’Etat confirmed La France Insoumise’ classification as a far-left party, with the party members and militants immediately attacking the body and undermining it’s credibility.
You know, as all normal parties do.
Secondly, Elabe released a new set of polls titled “The French and La France Insoumise”, and I don’t think that the far-left party is going to have a very good time.
To summarise:
21% of French citizens would favour an agreement between left-wing parties that exclude LFI vs 15% favouring an agreement including them. 36% of French citizens zould reject any agreement
70% of French citizens approve of François Hollande calling on the Parti Socialiste to exclude la France Insoumise from any alliance
63% of French citizens say they would vote to “block” La France Insoumise in the 2nd round of any eelection. This is compares to 45% saying they would do the same for the far-right Rassemblement National
74% of French citizens believe La france Insoumise stirs up tensions rather than appeases them
69% believe La France Insoumise is too close to violent movements
66% that La France Insoumise is a threat to democracy
Which, when you look at the upcoming Municipal elections, as well as the upcoming 2027 Presidentiel Election campaigns which have already started being launch, has severely reduced the chances of success for Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his acolytes.
And while Mélenchon’s strategies could have some form of success in the first round of these elections, it’s abundantly clear now that La France Insoumise is seen as a bête noir in the French electoral scene, which opens up several interesting situation/
Firstly, this would be a very good momeny for the other left wing parties to continue their assault on La France Insoumise’ electorate, and could be an excellent chance to pushthemselves as the alternatives for either left-wing power players (PS), leaders in the ecological political sphere (EELV), and even communist ideologues (PCF)
Not only this, but this could reignite the “Republican arc” - a concept of republican parties that work together to ensure that the extremists, anti-republican parties are kept out of positions of power.
With this arc being considered as going from the PS-EELV-PCF side of French politics over the Les Républicains, this could lead to several situations where strategic voting blocs form in order to block either the far-left or far-right in key voting districts, as we saw during the 2022 Legislative elections where tactical voting boosts centrists parties while limiting more extreme actors.
But, as always, polls are just polls, and we’ll have to see how they develop over the coming months.
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