Belgium summons US envoy over “loser” remarks targeting minister PHOTO

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has summoned US Ambassador Bill White over remarks he made about Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, implying that he was a loser.

White sparked controversy on Instagram after commenting on a dispute over Belgium’s new health warning on alcohol, Caliber.Az reports, citing Belgian media.

He shared an AI-generated image of Vandenbroucke alongside the caption: “Damages every form of joy in life.” Above the image, he wrote: “Who's the biggest loser in Belgium?”

“It is unacceptable for an ambassador accredited in Belgium to turn against a member of our government in this manner,” Prévot said in a statement. “As foreign minister, I will be summoning the American ambassador in the coming days.”

The dispute comes amid a broader debate in Belgium over stricter health warnings on alcohol. Producers are now required to use the wording “alcohol damages your health” instead of “alcohol abuse damages your health” in their communications.

Belgian brewers have launched a campaign opposing the change.

White has previously been involved in political controversies and has been accused of appealing to right-wing and populist sentiments. He has already been summoned by the Belgian government and has clashed with Vandenbroucke in recent months.

Conner Rousseau, leader of Vandenbroucke’s Vooruit party, also responded to the ambassador’s comments on Instagram.

“Bill can be a funny guy. But he knows nothing about healthcare. He only follows what daddy Trump says. They only care about money, not our health,” Rousseau wrote.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov