Trump rips France’s Macron over trade, wine, low approval ratings
WASHINGTON — Nursing grievances from a weekend visit to France, President Donald Trump lit into French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday over his suggestion for a European defense force, French tariffs on U.S. wine and even Macron’s approval ratings.
The litany of tweeted complaints served to underscore tensions between the once-chummy leaders and laid bare Trump’s irritation over criticism stemming from his latest trip abroad.
Trump’s tweets included a fresh complaint about Macron’s recent suggestion that Europe build up its militaries because the continent can no longer depend on the U.S. for defense. He misrepresented the French leader’s comments along the way, even though the two presidents had talked through the issue while Trump was in France over the weekend for events marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
“Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia,” Trump tweeted. “But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!”
In fact, Macron had said Europe needs to protect itself against cyberthreats from China, Russia and the U.S. The French leader’s office said Trump had lumped together Macron’s remarks on protecting against cyberthreats with a later statement on military defense.
Gerard Araud, France’s ambassador to the U.S., challenged Trump, tweeting, “For the sake of truth, Pres. @EmmanuelMacron didn’t say that EU needed an army ‘against the US’.”
Trump also complained about tariffs on U.S. wines sold in France, saying it’s “not fair, must change!” And he appeared to take a dig at Macron’s low public approval rating. Trump’s standing with the French is lower than Macron’s.
Nearly all U.S. wine exports to major markets, including the European Union — of which France is a part — face tariffs, according to the Wine Institute, which represents California winemakers in Washington on matters of tax, trade and regulatory issues.
Trump, a former businessman, opened a winery in Charlottesville, Va., in 2011.
“The problem is that Emmanuel suffers from a very low Approval Rating in France, 26%, and an unemployment rate of almost 10%. He was just trying to get onto another subject. By the way, there is no country more Nationalist than France, very proud people-and rightfully so! … MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN!”
Macron is hovering at around 30 percent in popularity polls, while the unemployment rate is just above 9 percent.
Trump’s continued complaints about France and Macron hit a nerve with some in the European nation, especially since Trump delivered his latest broadsides on the third anniversary of the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in 2015.