President Donald Trump said he would impose 200% tariffs on French wines and champagnes while promoting his Board of Peace initiative to address global conflicts.
Trump's initiative would begin with Gaza and later address other conflicts, and a source close to Macron said the French president intended to decline the invitation to join, citing implications for the role of the United Nations.
When asked about Macron's stance, Trump said, "Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon."
"I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join, but he doesn't have to join," Trump said.
Macron is due in Davos for the day on Tuesday before a scheduled return to Paris in the evening. Elysee aides have said there are no plans to extend his stay to Wednesday, when Trump arrives in the Swiss mountain resort town.
Trump also published a private message from Macron in which the French president said he did not understand Trump’s actions regarding Greenland. France holds an election to replace Macron in 2027.
Wines and spirits exported to the United States from the European Union currently face a 15% tariff - a rate the French have been lobbying hard to reduce to zero since Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed a U.S.-EU trade deal in Scotland last summer.
The United States is the largest market for French wine and spirits, with shipments to the U.S. at 3.8 billion euros in 2024.
Gabriel Picard, chairman of the French wine and spirits export lobby FEVS, told Reuters on Monday, before the new threat, that the industry had seen a 20% to 25% hit to U.S. activity in the second half of last year from previous trade measures.
A Macron aide said the Elysee took note of Trump's remarks and stressed that tariff threats to influence a third party's foreign policy were unacceptable.
European officials are considering a 93 billion euro tariff response, including possible use of the bloc’s "Anti-Coercion Instrument," in reaction to proposed tariff hikes related to Greenland.
"It's brutal, it's designed to break us, it's a tool for blackmail. All of this is outrageous," French Farm Minister Annie Genevard told news channel TF1.
"We have the tools; Europeans must take responsibility. We cannot allow such an escalation."
Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on wine and other alcoholic beverages imported from the EU before, including last year in March as transatlantic trade tensions escalated.
Governments have reacted cautiously to Trump's Board of Peace invitation, which diplomats said may affect the role and operations of the United Nations.
A draft charter sent to about 60 countries by the U.S. administration calls for members to contribute $1 billion in cash if they want their membership to last more than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters.
Reuters contributed to this report
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.