Belgium to US ambassador: Stop attacking our officials online

In a meeting on Monday, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot implored U.S. Ambassador Bill White to cease his online attacks on government officials, warning that further provocation could harm bilateral relations. Prévot stated that personal remarks targeting Belgian officials were intolerable, and any escalation would be counterproductive and unnecessary.

The ambassador's spokesperson conveyed these sentiments to POLITICO. Prévot's summons followed White's recent Instagram post, where he criticized Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke using an AI-generated image, asking who the biggest LOSER in Belgium was. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot called the attack on Vandenbroucke "unacceptable."

Upon arriving for the Monday meeting, White displayed a more amiable demeanor, expressing delight at seeing Prévot and emphasizing the importance of discussing new initiatives such as a U.S. embassy in Brussels and economic ties between the two nations. This is White's second dressing-down this year; in February, he was summoned after accusing Belgium of antisemitism and requesting that Health Minister Vandenbroucke intervene in a probe involving Jewish ritual circumcisions.