New Delhi: The long-standing alliance between Washington and Paris has taken a sharp, bitter turn as US President Donald Trump launched an all-out diplomatic
and economic offensive against France. The US President threatened of imposing a 200 per cent tariff on wine and champagne and disclosed French President Emmanuel Macron on his Truth Social handle.
France uninterested in Trump’s “Board of Peace”
The escalation began when Trump threatened to cripple France’s export market by imposing tariffs. “I’ll put a 200 per cent tariff on his wines and champagnes. And he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join,” Trump said. The move is a direct retaliation for France’s apparent refusal to join Trump’s newly proposed “Board of Peace”.
While the board was originally framed as a task force to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, French officials are sceptical of its “charter,” which they claim expands far beyond the Palestinian territories. A source close to the French President confirmed to news agency AFP that France “does not intend to answer favourably” to the invitation, sparking Trump’s ire. “He’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join,” Trump added defiantly.
The Greenland spat
The tension is further fueled by France’s open ridicule of Trump’s fixation on Greenland. After US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the push for the Arctic territory, citing future Russian threats and NATO guarantees, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs took to social media to mock the logic.
In a series of biting analogies on X (formerly Twitter), the French government compared the US stance to “burning a house now” to prevent a hypothetical future fire or “eating the lifeguard now” to prevent a potential shark attack.
Leaked texts and diplomatic shades
In a characteristic move, Trump escalated the personal feud by posting a private message from Macron on Truth Social. In the text, Macron expressed agreement with Trump on high-stakes issues like Iran and Syria but confessed he did not “understand” Trump’s obsession with Greenland.
Despite the friction, Macron attempted to maintain a diplomatic channel, offering to meet Trump and other G7 leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Macron even suggested a dinner invitation for Thursday and proposed a meeting that would include representatives from Ukraine, Denmark, Russia and Syria.
France hits back
The response from the Élysée Palace has been firm. A source close to the French President told AFP that using tariff threats to manipulate foreign policy is both “unacceptable and ineffective.”
