US diplomats walked out of a United Nations meeting on Monday after France criticized the country's human rights record under Donald Trump. The staged walkout occurred during a UN Security Council meeting on the Ukraine-Russia war, days after the Trump administration cited “forced labor” allegations to impose sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries.
Tariffs and Human Rights Tensions
Critics accused US President Donald Trump of using forced labor claims as a “convenient” justification for the new duties, unveiled on Thursday. The tariffs, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, target imports from over 80 countries, including allies like the UK, Canada, Australia, and the European Union, as well as Mexico, India, and China.
Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House’s Ways and Means Committee, criticized the tariffs, saying: “Forced labor is a real and pervasive problem in our supply chains and demands serious enforcement. It should never be cheapened into a pretext for a tariff policy built on dubious legal theories and personal grievances.”
France’s Intervention and US Response
The walkout followed France’s extraordinary intervention on social media after the Trump administration criticized the UN human rights system and opposed the reappointment of Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief. The French Geneva mission posted: “The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it. #AmericaAlone.”
In response, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz wrote on X on Sunday: “It is disappointing – though not surprising – that this is how France deflects on its shameful vote to coddle some of the worst human rights abusers. France voted for someone who has been lecturing free, sovereign democracies like the United States, the UK, and Israel, while cozying up to the world’s worst oppressors.”
US Deputy Ambassador’s Remarks
During Monday’s meeting, US Deputy Ambassador Dan Negrea claimed the US “remains the beacon of liberty for the world.” He added: “As such, we will not be affording them the benefit of listening to their politicized drivel until they renounce their condescending and disrespectful rhetoric and behave in a manner commensurate with their seat on this council.”
France’s UN Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont did not mention the walkout, instead stating: “The United Nations was created with the goal of working towards international peace and security, human rights and development. All of that forms the spirit in which France works within the United Nations … to preserve this institution, its independence, its ability to act in service of the charter and act to serve human rights and peace.”
Volker Türk Reappointment
In addition to the US, nine other countries voted no to Türk’s reappointment, including Russia, North Korea, Israel, Nicaragua, and Mali. His reappointment was ultimately approved with 144 countries in favor, including France, China, and the UK, while 13 countries abstained. Türk had previously expressed concern about the US human rights direction, particularly regarding immigration custody deaths.
