Trump threatens 200% tariff on French wine as Macron rejects ‘Board of Peace’, says ‘nobody wants him’

Trump threatens 200% tariff on French wine and champagne as Macron rejects ‘Board of Peace’ invite

• Trump threatens 200 percent tariff on French wine over Macron's board refusal
• France rejects joining Trump's proposed Board of Peace, citing UN concerns
• US to impose 10% tariffs on goods from several European nations over Greenland.

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US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron indicated he would not accept an invitation to join Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace.”

The board, initially conceived to oversee Gaza’s post-war reconstruction, appears to have a broader mandate, raising concerns among European allies. “I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes. And he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join,” Trump said.

A source close to Macron confirmed that France “does not intend to answer favourably” to the invitation, citing concerns that the charter “goes beyond the sole framework of Gaza” and could conflict with the United Nations’ principles.

Trump also confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been invited to join the board. Other leaders, including Argentina’s Javier Milei and Canada’s Mark Carney, have also been approached. Trump aims to have the board’s constitution signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos later this week.

The administration is asking countries seeking permanent membership to contribute at least $1 billion. Critics have raised concerns that the board could become an alternative to the UN, a move that Trump has long criticised.

Trump’s tariff threats extend beyond France. Starting February 1, a 10% tariff is planned on goods from several European nations, including Denmark, Germany, the UK, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands, until Greenland is ceded to the US.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the measures, saying the US cannot “outsource our hemispheric security to anyone else” and citing Greenland’s strategic value and rare earth minerals. Bessent also referenced historical precedents for US territorial acquisitions, such as the Panama Canal and the US Virgin Islands, to justify the approach.

French officials have criticized the US position. Macron stated that “no intimidation or threats will influence us,” while France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs mocked Washington’s logic with a series of analogies on intervention, warning against overreach.

The move signals a renewed reliance on high-stakes trade pressure as a tool of US foreign policy, linking commercial tariffs to geopolitical negotiations in an unprecedented manner.