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President Trump has chosen Charles Kushner to be the Ambassador to France. Charles Kushner is the father of President Trump’s son-in-law and received a presidential pardon at the end of Trump’s first term.
Written by Zach Montague
President-elect Donald J. Trump revealed his intention to appoint Charles Kushner, a wealthy real estate executive and father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the ambassador to France. This appointment signifies an early and significant ambassadorial role being given to a family member.
The recent announcement marked a continuation of the ongoing exchange of political backing between the two individuals. Mr. Kushner was pardoned by Mr. Trump towards the end of his first term for several offenses, and subsequently became a significant contributor to Mr. Trump’s 2024 election campaign.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump announced his nomination of Charles Kushner from New Jersey to be the U.S. Ambassador to France. He described Kushner as a successful business leader, philanthropist, and negotiator who will effectively represent the interests of the United States in France.
In 2004, Mr. Kushner, aged 70, admitted guilt to 16 charges of tax evasion, one charge of retaliating against a federal witness, and one charge of lying to the Federal Election Commission. This case brought shame to his family. As part of his guilty plea, Mr. Kushner confessed to hiring a prostitute to entrap his brother-in-law, who was a witness in a federal campaign finance inquiry, and then sending a video of the incident to his sister.
President Trump granted clemency to Mr. Kushner along with 25 others as he nears the end of his first term in office. This included pardons for Paul Manafort, his campaign chairman from 2016, and Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime ally and adviser.
Mr. Kushner played a key role in not only obtaining a pardon for himself, but also in assisting others who were seeking clemency by using his son to connect them with Mr. Trump and ensure their applications were brought to his attention.
Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey who was also a U.S. attorney, led the prosecution against Mr. Kushner. Christie, who has since become a strong opponent of President Trump, still views Kushner’s actions as very serious.
After spending two years in prison, Mr. Kushner was released in 2006.
The ambassador position that Mr. Kushner is expected to be nominated for is highly regarded, but it may be challenging due to President Trump’s sometimes distant relationship with President Macron of France in his first term.
During his presidency, Mr. Trump showed his backing for Marine Le Pen, the far-right opponent of Mr. Macron in the 2017 French presidential election. Mr. Trump admired Le Pen’s strong stance against immigration.
Mr. Macron, a strong advocate for NATO and Ukraine, will remain in office until mid-2027. President Trump has expressed doubts about the importance of Western assistance to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, and has clashed publicly with Mr. Macron on various issues such as trade disputes and the U.S. pulling out of the Iran nuclear agreement.
Zach Montague is a journalist from the Times who reports on the U.S. Department of Education, the White House, and federal courts. Learn more about Zach Montague.
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