Reuters reported on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is threatening Emmanuel Macron with a 200% tariff on French wines and champagne if France doesn’t join his Board of Peace. The outlet reports that the Board of Peace was designed to address global issues, with the crisis in Gaza remaining a central focal point.
The outlet reported that, according to an unnamed source, Macron declined the American president’s invitation. A journalist asked President Donald Trump about the French president’s disinterest in joining, and he responded with the following statement:
“Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon,” Trump expressed. “I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he doesn’t have to join.”
According to Reuters, Trump additionally posted a message that the French president privately sent him, where he expressed confusion over Trump’s bid to take over Greenland. Whether or not Macron will change his stance on joining Trump’s Board of Peace remains to be seen, but it looks highly unlikely.
“We do prefer respect to bullies,” Macron said, according to Reuters. “And we do prefer rule of law to brutality.”
As soon as the news broke out about the President’s use of tariffs, The New York Times reported that France’s Minister of Agriculture claimed the comments were “blackmail.”
“It’s shocking because it’s brutal, it’s done to force compliance,” French Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard said, according to the outlet.
Professionals within the wine and spirits industry expressed frustration with the American president’s statement.
“Comments signaling the potential for extreme tariffs — especially when tied to non-trade issues — create uncertainty across the entire three-tier system,” said Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America in a statement, according to CNBC.
About Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’
According to the New York Times, President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” is an initiative intent on stewarding a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. Those opposed to the President’s board claim that it could pose a threat to the United Nations, which the President of the United States staunchly denies.
The New York Times reported that just a few leaders expressed an interest in joining: Argentina’s Javier Milei, and Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban.
ABC News reported that though The Board Of Peace positioned the crisis in Gaza as its main issue, it appears to have larger aims. Trump will hold the position as the chair for the rest of his life, giving him all the power in the organization.
Each invited nation accepts a membership term that lasts approximately three years, yet if they donate over $1 billion in cash, they secure a permanent membership. The United States shared that it will reveal the official list of members within the next few days.
The Guardian reported that Australia is one of the many countries that denied the Trump administration’s invitation. In the article, experts expressed that it could not possibly consider joining a group of “autocrats” and “despots,” according to the outlet. Yet some believe that the country has taken too soft a stance on standing up to Trump.
“I think it’s unfortunate that Australia has been very weak on pushing back against US violations of international law under Trump over last year,” Challis Chair of International Law at the University of Sydney Ben Saul said in a statement. “We’ve been absolutely in appeasement mode, trying to keep the security alliance afloat, trying to dodge punitive economic penalties, such as tariffs. All of which is understandable, but, at the same time, around us, international order is collapsing.”
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