Politics

Trump selects Charles Kushner as ambassador to France

Published

2 years ago

November 30, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has chosen New York real estate developer Charles Kushner to be his Ambassador to France, calling him “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker” in a social media post.

“Congratulations to Charlie, his wonderful wife Seryl, their 4 children, & 14 grandchildren,” Trump wrote. “His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, & the Abraham Accords. Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, & one of our greatest!

All U.S. ambassador nominees must be confirmed by the Senate. If confirmed, Kushner would take over the role from Denise Campbell Bauer.

The 70-year-old business mogul is the founder of private real estate firm Kushner Companies and was also an attorney. His son Jared Kushner is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka and was a senior adviser to Trump during his first term.

In 2005, the elder Kushner was convicted by a federal jury of making illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering. Former New Jersey governor and federal prosecutor Chris Christie brought the charges against Kushner, calling it “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes” he ever prosecuted. Kushner served two years in prison before returning to his real estate business.

Trump pardoned Kushner in 2020, just one month before the end of his first term.

France’s relationship with the U.S. is particularly important on issues like trade and security, amid fears that Trump may pull the U.S. out of the NATO military alliance.

Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney contributed reporting.

Politics

El-Sayed comes under fire for ‘ogre on a pike’ leaked comment

Published

33 minutes ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing backlash from within his own party after using controversial rhetoric to describe the stakes of his victory in a recent donor meeting.

“You put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different,” El-Sayed said, describing how his win could propel the progressive movement, according to audio of a Zoom meeting obtained by POLITICO.

On Monday, several Democrats were quick to slam his comments, which they took as direct reference to his Senate primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens. El-Sayed had not explicitly mentioned Stevens in the portion of the call Blue Light News reviewed.

“Calling your female opponent an ogre you want to put on a pike is not beating the rap that this race has some serious sexism,” Neera Tanden, a centrist Democrat and president of the Center for American Progress, posted on X. Melissa Byrne, a former staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders, called the remark an “unforced error” that is “really bad and beneath the progressive project.”

El-Sayed’s leaked comments and the reaction to them amount to another flashpoint in a tense primary that is dividing the progressive and moderate wings of the party, and at times has been defined by accusations of racism and sexism.

“Abdul continues with personal insults and making this race about his personal political ambitions and the other 49 states,” said Arik Wolk, spokesperson for the Stevens campaign. “Haley is focused on getting things done for Michigan, and only Michigan.”

Republicans also immediately jumped on the comment, and some leaned into stereotypes of El-Sayed’s religion as a Muslim. “Michigan Islamist discusses beheading his opponents,” said Steve Guest, a former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, on X.

An El-Sayed campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the backlash. A spokesperson had previously told Blue Light News that the candidate was “speaking metaphorically” about his intention to support a primary against Sen. John Fetterman in Pennsylvania.

This is not the first time El-Sayed has used — and defended — aggressive political rhetoric. “When they go low, we don’t go high,” the progressive said while speaking at a campaign rally earlier this year, riffing on a famous line from former first lady Michelle Obama. “We take them to the mud and choke them out.”

He and Stevens will face off in their final Democratic Senate debate Monday night, and the results of the Aug. 4 primary could have major consequences for the party as it grapples with its ideological tack ahead of the 2028 presidential election.