US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 200% tariffs on French wines and champagnes if French President Emmanuel Macron declines to join the Peace Board for Gaza, created following Washington’s proposal for the future of the Palestinian enclave after the offensive launched by Israel in response to the attacks of October 7, 2023.
“I’ll put 200% tariffs on their wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but he doesn’t have to,” Trump said in remarks to the press, after claiming that “nobody wants” Macron because “he’ll be out of office very soon.” “He’ll be out of office in a few months,” he emphasized.
Trump’s comments came after sources at the Élysée Palace indicated on Monday that the French president might decline the invitation to join the Peace Board for Gaza, to which various world leaders have been invited in recent days.
The implementation of the first phase of the US proposal began in October after an agreement between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and included a ceasefire, while Trump himself announced the start of the second phase last week, without providing further details for now.
The Peace Board, which will act as a supervisory body and will be headed by Trump, will be composed of heads of state from around the world. Its objective is to address the conflict in Gaza and subsequently expand its scope to address other conflicts globally.
