U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes, sharply escalating tensions with France as he presses President Emmanuel Macron to join a new U.S.-led diplomatic initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts.
The warning, delivered during remarks to reporters and later reinforced in public statements, comes as Macron is expected to reject participation in Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace,” a body the U.S. president says would first focus on ending the war in Gaza before expanding to other international crises.
Trump framed the tariff threat as leverage after being asked about Macron’s reported reluctance to join the initiative. When told that the French president intended to decline, Trump responded dismissively.
“Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon,” Trump said, referring to France’s next presidential election, scheduled for 2027.
He then explicitly tied Macron’s participation to the threat of new trade penalties. “I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he doesn’t have to join,” Trump added.
According to Reuters, a source close to Macron said the French leader had no intention of joining the initiative, raising broader questions in European capitals about how Trump’s proposal would intersect with existing diplomatic structures, including the United Nations.
The dispute is unfolding as global leaders converge on the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Macron is scheduled to attend events on Tuesday before returning to Paris later the same day, according to officials at the Élysée Palace. His aides have said there are no plans to extend his stay into Wednesday, when Trump is due to arrive.
Meanwhile, Trump intensified the personal tone of the exchange by publishing what he described as a private message from Macron questioning U.S. actions related to Greenland — another issue that has strained transatlantic relations in recent months.
The tariff threat lands at a sensitive moment for the European wine and spirits industry. Exports from the European Union to the United States currently face a 15% tariff, a level French producers have been lobbying to eliminate.
That tariff was set following a U.S.-EU trade agreement reached last summer between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland, according to Reuters and AFP.
The United States remains the largest export market for French wines and spirits, with shipments valued at €3.8 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2024, industry data show. A 200% tariff would effectively price many French products out of the U.S. market, analysts say.
Read Also: France Greenland Deployment Follows Macron Emergency Talks
Market analysts warn that renewed trade threats could chill investment across Europe’s beverage sector. “The fact that we’re getting more threats is going to make the industry harder to invest in,” said Laurence Whyatt, head of European beverages research at Barclays. “It’s going to make it harder for companies to make decisions for their own investments.”
Whyatt added that producers may respond by holding back capital and delaying expansion plans to buffer against potential trade shocks.