The US delegation walked out of a UN Security Council meeting in New York as France's ambassador began speaking, in protest at remarks likening Washington's stance on human rights to that of authoritarian states. The row stems from Friday's vote to extend the term of UN human rights chief Volker Türk, in which the US sided with Russia and North Korea against renewal, prompting France's UN mission to declare that "the US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore." The episode highlights deepening friction between the Trump administration and the United Nations.

US Ambassador Mike Waltz accused France of backing a figure who lectures democracies while "cozying up to the world's worst oppressors", while officials warned Washington would keep staging such protests until France dropped its "condescending" rhetoric. Türk's reappointment passed 144 votes to 10, with 13 abstentions, but the US has separately threatened to cut funding and reassess its engagement with the UN, having already withdrawn from numerous UN bodies. France's ambassador defended Türk as "a voice of conscience", while a UN spokesperson said member states were expected to respect the outcome of the vote.