France's agriculture minister on Tuesday criticized US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 200% tariffs on French wines and champagnes, describing the move as "blackmail" and warning that Paris and the EU "cannot remain passive."
Annie Genevard said the threat represented "unprecedented brutality" and amounted to the use of economic pressure for political ends, after Trump linked the proposed tariffs to France's refusal to join the US-led Gaza Board of Peace.
"We cannot remain passive, neither France nor the entire European Union," Genevard told TF1 television.
"This is clearly coercion-using an economic weapon, customs duties, for political purposes."
On Monday, Trump brushed off remarks attributed to Macron, indicating he would not join the international Board of Peace aimed at resolving the Gaza conflict, responding with a threat of steep tariffs.
"I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join, but he doesn't have to join. I mean, if he said that — you're probably giving it to me a little bit differently — but if he actually did say that," the US president said.
Responding to the threat, Genevard said: "This is an unacceptable threat of unprecedented brutality," noting that the wine sector was already facing difficulties despite being "a jewel of French agriculture."
She warned that the standoff could also harm US interests, pointing to the size of the European market and the EU's ability to retaliate.
"The Americans also have a lot to lose in this power struggle," she said, adding that the EU had equipped itself with an anti-coercion instrument under France's presidency that could be used against US interests.
Genevard described the threat as a "hostile statement towards France and French agriculture," saying it was designed to force Europeans to back down.
Macron's office also weighed in, saying tariff threats aimed at influencing foreign policy were "unacceptable and ineffective."
"As we have always stressed, tariff threats to influence our foreign policy are unacceptable and ineffective," his entourage told TF1-LCI.
