President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to French President Emmanuel Macron Monday night, threatening to impose a 200 percent tariff on champagne and wine imports from France.
The confrontation unfolded after the college football championship game in Miami when reporters questioned the president about Macron’s decision to reject an invitation to Trump’s newly established Board of Peace.
Macron had indicated he would not serve on Trump’s committee “at this stage.”
The board was created to implement the second phase of the Gaza peace plan.
Trump responded sharply to the French leader’s refusal.
“Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” the president stated.
The president then escalated his threat of imposing trade penalties on Europe.
“What I’ll do is, if they feel hostile, I’ll put a 200 percent tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join,” Trump declared before boarding a flight to Washington.
“But he doesn’t have to join.”
The tariff threat represents an expansion of Trump’s ongoing trade dispute with European nations.
The president has previously suggested targeting France and several other European countries with tariffs over their opposition to his Greenland initiatives, according to reports.
Macron has advocated for the European Union to threaten tariffs on $107.7 billion worth of American goods, the Daily Mail reported.
The French president has also raised the possibility of blocking American access to European markets entirely.
Later that evening, Trump disclosed a text message he received from Macron.
In the message, the French leader outlined areas of agreement and disagreement with the American president.
“My friend, we are totally in line on Syria. We can do great things on Iran,” Macron wrote in the text.
“I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland. Let us try to build great things.”
The French president proposed organizing a G7 meeting following the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Macron also extended an invitation for Trump to have dinner with him in Paris on Thursday before returning to the United States.
Trump continued posting on Truth Social throughout the evening.
He shared a photoshopped image depicting himself, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “claiming” Greenland with the American flag.
The president also posted a photograph from last year showing himself in conversation with various European leaders, including Macron.
He mentioned having “a very good telephone call” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Questions have emerged about the Board of Peace’s structure and purpose.
The number of invitations being distributed, including to nations with antagonistic relationships, has raised concerns about the board’s decision-making processes and overall mandate.
Israel’s potential involvement in a board tasked with implementing a ceasefire agreement that directly affects them remains unclear.
Recent invitations have been extended to Israel, Russia, Belarus, Slovenia, Thailand, and the European Union’s executive arm.
The White House has also invited Egypt, India, Turkey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his country’s participation on the peace board but stated Canada will not pay the $1 billion fee for a permanent seat.
The Daily Mail outlined that as of Monday morning, only three nations had accepted the invitation: Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam.
Kremlin officials confirmed that Vladimir Putin received the offer through US diplomatic channels.
Putin is currently “studying all the details of this proposal” before making a decision.
“We hope for a contact with the American side so that we can clarify all the details,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday.
