Belgium will launch a new diplomatic initiative concerning US Ambassador to Brussels Bill White. White will be summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a second time over a social media post targeting Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke.
The decision to summon him came after the ambassador joined a public debate over new regulations targeting Belgium’s alcohol sector. The regulations require producers to use the warning “Alcohol harms health” in their advertisements instead of “Excessive alcohol consumption harms health.”

Government reacts to post
White shared an AI-generated image of Vandenbroucke on social media. In the post targeting the minister, the ambassador wrote, “He is eliminating every form of joy in life,” and asked, “Who is Belgium’s biggest failure?”
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot called White’s remarks unacceptable. Prévot said the US ambassador would be invited to the ministry in the coming days to provide an explanation.
Coalition partner also criticizes White
Conner Rousseau, leader of the Flemish Vooruit party, which is part of the governing coalition, reacted to the ambassador’s remarks. Rousseau said White did not understand health issues, that his comments focused solely on money and that they reflected the statements of US President Donald Trump.
First summons followed another remark
White had previously clashed with Belgian authorities over a judicial case involving Jewish mohels. During the same process, the ambassador called Vandenbroucke “rude,” and was summoned to the Belgian Foreign Ministry following the remark.