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Original article: “De diplomacia no sabe nada”: Insulza critica al embajador de EE.UU. y cuestiona que Cancillería no lo llamara al orden

Insulza Critiques U.S. Ambassador Judd, Questions Chilean Foreign Ministry’s Inaction

Following the controversy sparked by the recent comments from the U.S. Ambassador to Chile, Brandon Judd, directed at two ministers in José Antonio Kast’s government, former chancellor and senator José Miguel Insulza (PS) criticized the actions and background of Washington’s representative, asserting that «he knows nothing about diplomacy» and questioning the Foreign Ministry’s inaction for not having «called him to order.»

The conflict originated from the unilateral imposition of a 12.5% tariff on key Chilean exports like salmon, timber, and certain foods by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. In response, Defense Minister Fernando Barros and Agriculture Minister Jaime Campos condemned the measure, with Barros labeling it «very unfair» and warning that it «creates doubts about the closeness and reliability of the relationship,» while Campos dismissed the White House’s justification as a mere «distraction.»

Ambassador Judd’s response was swift; rather than adopting a conciliatory tone, he chose a confrontational approach, warning that the ongoing trade negotiations between Washington and Santiago could be jeopardized if «people unrelated to them» continued to make public statements.

The representative of the Trump administration attended a cocktail event hosted by the Chilean-American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham Chile) at the Ritz Hotel in the capital to celebrate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. In front of around 150 attendees, including business leaders and government officials such as Energy Minister Ximena Rincón and Undersecretary of International Economic Relations Paula Estévez, he launched a tirade against the Chilean state secretaries.

«At least six times, Judd stated that negotiations led by Undersecretary Estévez were harmed when other ministers made statements without any understanding of the topic,» eyewitnesses reported to La Tercera.

«You should complain to your authorities to prevent them from making declarations about the relationship with the United States,» the ambassador reportedly told business leaders present at the event.

Later, in comments to the press, the diplomat reiterated the possibility of an agreement between Kast’s and Trump’s administrations on tariff issues and acknowledged the negotiating capabilities of Undersecretary Estévez. However, he warned that progress could not be achieved if other state ministers continued to speak out, referring directly to Barros and Campos.

«There will be no agreement if there are people talking about these negotiations without having any connection to them», he emphasized.

«He Knows Nothing About Diplomacy»

It was precisely this behavior that alarmed Insulza, who harshly criticized the actions of the U.S. ambassador during an interview with Tele13 Radio. According to the former chancellor, Judd’s appointment reflects political affinity rather than established diplomatic career credentials, pointing out that his background as a union leader for border patrol agents and his connection to Trump render him more of a «preacher» than a professional in international dialogue.

«Countries have career ambassadors and those who are unfamiliar with the field. The ambassador we received is a friend of Mr. Trump, who had a significant friendship because he was the president of the labor organization of border guards,» he stated.

«Thus, he admired Trump, and that is why Trump likely offered him an ambassadorship, because he was a preacher here in Chile, but he knows nothing about diplomacy,» Insulza asserted, highlighting that the ambassador’s inexperience is evident in his lack of tact and unfamiliarity with the codes governing relations between sovereign states.

For Insulza, the core issue lies not merely in Judd’s harsh words but also in the context and manner in which they were delivered.

The former chancellor deemed it extremely serious that the U.S. representative exploited a ceremonial event organized by the Chamber of Commerce to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence as a platform to launch a direct political attack against Chilean authorities.

«One simply does not take advantage of a ceremonial meeting that the Chamber of Commerce organized to honor the 250 years of independence of the United States and then launch a political discourse attacking ministers. That is inappropriate and should not be done,» he told Radio T13.

However, Insulza’s sharpest criticism did not solely target the Washington representative but also directed an equal level of scrutiny towards La Moneda. The former state secretary expressed confusion over the lack of a formal and forceful response from the Foreign Ministry, which, in his view, should have summoned Ambassador Judd to «call him to order.»

Insulza stated that while it was not about imposing a sanction, diplomatic tradition calls for a summons to clearly express the host country’s displeasure at intrusions into its internal affairs.

«I don’t mean that there should have been any sanctions or anything, but in these cases, the ambassador is summoned, and unfortunately that did not happen,» he emphasized.

The former chancellor’s analysis also delved into the content of the trade dispute, questioning the government’s communication strategy and suggesting that the official narrative has shifted towards secondary discussions, such as the 2.5% related to forced labor, while ignoring the real impact of the additional 10% that, according to him, violates the essence of the Free Trade Agreement in effect between the two nations. In this regard, he warned that appealing to friendship or goodwill to request «favors» is a misguided approach, as strong relationships are built on mutual respect for agreements and not on unilateral concessions.

«I’m also not in favor of saying that because we are such good friends now, you should do us this favor and not impose these things, which is what the two ministers mentioned. I believe that our relationship with the United States has always been good because they do not grant us large favors, and we do not grant them large favors either,» he concluded.

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