US President Donald Trump has sharply escalated tensions with France by threatening sweeping tariffs on French wine and champagne, while publicly disclosing a private message from French President Emmanuel Macron. The move follows Paris signalling it would not join Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” and openly mocking Washington’s justification for its renewed focus on Greenland.
Speaking to reporters, Trump warned that he could impose tariffs as high as 200 per cent on French alcoholic exports, framing the threat as leverage to compel Paris to participate in the US-backed initiative. The board, initially floated as a mechanism to oversee post-war reconstruction in Gaza, has since appeared to broaden in scope—an expansion that French officials have said goes beyond their comfort zone.
Trump later posted on Truth Social a private message from Macron in which the French leader said the two leaders broadly agreed on Iran and Syria, but questioned Trump’s intentions regarding Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Macron suggested a possible meeting with G7 leaders on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos and even floated a dinner invitation, but maintained his reservations about the Greenland push.
The confrontation intensified after France publicly declined the invitation to Trump’s board, with officials telling AFP that the proposal exceeded its original mandate. Paris also took aim at Washington’s Arctic rationale. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs mocked comments by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who argued that future security threats in the Arctic justified proactive US interest in Greenland. In a series of sarcastic analogies posted on X, the ministry likened the logic to causing damage now to prevent hypothetical crises later.
Bessent had defended the administration’s stance by warning of long-term strategic competition in the Arctic, including potential threats from Russia, and argued that NATO commitments could eventually draw the US into a conflict if Greenland were attacked.
The episode underscores a widening rift between Washington and Paris over trade, security, and diplomacy. While Trump has leaned into coercive tariff threats and blunt messaging, France has opted for public pushback and satire—highlighting how differences over Arctic strategy and Middle East diplomacy are spilling into economic brinkmanship.
