Trump threatens 200% wine tariffs to push Board of Peace plan on France
U.S. President Donald Trump said he could impose 200% tariffs on French wines and champagnes as he seeks to persuade President Emmanuel Macron to join a proposed “Board of Peace” initiative, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Trump said the initiative would begin with efforts related to Gaza before expanding to other conflicts, a concept diplomats say could overlap with the work of the United Nations. French officials said Paris plans to decline the invitation.
Asked about Macron’s position, Trump repeated the tariff threat while saying participation would be voluntary. He also released what he described as a private message from Macron questioning U.S. actions linked to Greenland.
Macron is due to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos briefly on Tuesday, with no plans to extend his visit to overlap with Trump’s arrival the following day, according to the Élysée Palace.
Wines and spirits exported from the European Union to the United States currently face a 15% tariff. French officials and industry groups have been pushing for those duties to be reduced to zero following a U.S. - EU trade understanding reached last summer between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The United States is the largest market for French wine and spirits, with exports totaling €3.8 billion in 2024.
Industry representatives warned that renewed tariff threats could weigh on investment decisions. Shares in luxury group LVMH, which owns major champagne producers, fell about 2% in early trading.
French officials said the Élysée had taken note of Trump’s remarks and stressed that using tariff threats to influence another country’s foreign policy was unacceptable.
European governments are weighing a possible €93 billion package of countermeasures and, in a separate dispute linked to Greenland, the potential use of the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument. France’s farm minister said the comments underscored the risk of escalation and renewed calls for a coordinated European response.
Trump has previously raised the prospect of 200% tariffs on EU wine and other alcoholic beverages during periods of heightened transatlantic trade tensions.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the proposed U.S. tariffs, saying they were not an appropriate way to address disputes within an alliance.
