President Donald Trump’s hand-picked U.S. ambassadors to European countries are being openly mocked by some European leaders, The Guardian reported Friday, with one leader labeling them as nothing more than the president’s gang of “MAGA disciples.”
“[They are] basically all relatives, close friends or big [donors],” said a European Union diplomat, speaking with The Guardian under the condition of anonymity. “That’s always been the US tradition, but it’s never been quite this blatant. These are like MAGA disciples.”
Among Trump’s picks to spearhead diplomatic efforts with European nations is Charles Kushner, a real-estate developer who was convicted on 18 federal charges including witness tampering and tax evasion, and is the father of Trump’s son in law, Jared Kushner. Charles Kushner was appointed as the ambassador to France and Monaco, and holds no prior diplomatic experience.
Other Trump picks for European ambassadors include Bill White, the ambassador to Belgium and major Trump donor. Joseph Popolo Jr., appointed as the ambassador to the Netherlands, is another major Trump donor.
The appointments, at least according to Gerard Araud, the former French ambassador to the U.S., demonstrated the Trump administration’s “total contempt” for basic moral values.
“The craziness of these nominations reflects a total contempt for human dignity, custom, and the law. Only whim matters,” Araud said, The Guardian reported.
Trump has grown increasingly hostile toward European nations, calling the constituent a "decaying" group of counties led by “weak” leaders in an interview this month with Politico. More specifically, Trump attacked European nations’ immigration policies, and warned that without a course correction, European nations would soon “not be viable countries any longer.”
