There is a specific kind of exhaustion that comes from watching global politics these days, specifically regarding the rising **diplomatic tension** between allies. It is the feeling you get when you realize the adults have left the room, and the children are playing with matches near the curtains. We saw a perfect example of this theater of the absurd this week when **France summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner**. The incident involves the tragic death of **Quentin Deranque**, a controversial statement from the **U.S. State Department**, and the incredible arrogance of the American political machine.

The story begins with a hard fact: **Quentin Deranque**, a young man of only 23 years, was beaten to death in Paris. In a normal world, we would mourn him, look at the local facts, and let the French police do their job. But in the current landscape of **US-France relations**, we live in a world where everything is twisted to fit a narrative. A death in France became fuel for a political fire in Washington.

The **U.S. State Department** released a statement about this killing. Did they offer simple condolences? No. That would be too dignified. Instead, they blamed "**violent radical leftism**." Let’s pause and look at that keyword. A young activist is dead, and the American government decided to use his body to score points against domestic political enemies. It is a breathtaking act of disrespect.

Naturally, the French government was not amused. They did what countries do when they are insulted: they issued a formal summons to the ambassador. And who is the **U.S. Ambassador to France** right now? **Charles Kushner**. If you wrote this in a novel, the editor would tell you it is too unbelievable. Charles Kushner is the father of Jared Kushner. He is a man who went to prison for tax evasion and witness tampering. He was pardoned by the very President he now serves. This is the man America sends to lecture France on law, order, and morality.

So, Mr. Kushner was called to the **French Foreign Ministry**. In diplomatic language, being "summoned" is a massive signal—a slap in the face. It means, "Come here so we can yell at you in a fancy room." But let’s be honest about what really happens. They sit on expensive furniture. They drink very good coffee. The French officials express their "deep disapproval." Mr. Kushner probably listens, nods, and then goes back to his mansion. Nothing actually changes. It is all a show. It is a play performed for the cameras so everyone can pretend they are doing something.

The real issue here is how America sees the world. To the current power players in Washington, France is not a sovereign nation with its own complex history. It is just a prop. They look at Europe and they do not see Europeans. They see a mirror. They see their own domestic fights reflected back at them. If something bad happens in Paris, they have to figure out how to blame their enemies back home. They paste their own labels—"radical left," "woke," "socialist"—onto things they do not understand.

The French are rightly furious. They have their own problems. They have their own arguments about politics, safety, and violence. But they are *French* arguments. They do not want their national tragedies rewritten by American speechwriters who probably couldn't find Lyon on a map. It is a form of cultural imperialism. America is exporting its brain rot. They are shipping their toxic political culture across the ocean just like they ship fast food and bad movies.

Think about the cynicism required to do this. A mother lost her son. Friends lost a companion. But in the halls of power, **Quentin Deranque** is not a person anymore. He is a statistic. He is a weapon to be used in a press release. The Americans want to paint a picture of a world on fire, caused by the ideologies they dislike. If they have to twist the truth of a murder to do it, they will.

And what happens next? The news cycle will move on. Mr. Kushner will continue to attend nice parties in Paris. The State Department will find something else to complain about. But the stain of this moment will remain. It is a reminder that in the eyes of great powers, human life is cheap, and the truth is flexible. The French are angry today, and they should be. But mostly, they should be tired. We are all tired. We are watching a clown show where the clowns are dangerous, and the audience is trapped inside the tent.

### References & Fact-Check * **Source**: [France Summons U.S. Ambassador Over Comments on Activist’s Killing](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/world/europe/france-us-ambassador-kushner-activist-killing.html) (The New York Times) * **Context**: U.S. State Department linked the death of Quentin Deranque to "violent radical leftism." * **Diplomatic Action**: Charles Kushner summoned by the French Foreign Ministry.