It was a pathetic tactic in an E.U.-U.S. trade war that Trump singlehandedly started and would have immediately tripled the price of imported treasures like Merlot and Champagne.
Asked about Macron's decision not to join the board, Trump dismissed the French president's position. "Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon," Trump said. "I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join, but he doesn't have to join," Trump said. A source close to Macron told the AFP news agency on Monday said France "does not intend to answer favourably" to the invitation.
President Donald Trump took a sudden swipe at France on Monday during an interview with US broadcaster Fox News, saying "we've had a lot of problems with the French." Fox News presenter Laura Ingraham questioned the US president on the enrolment of Chinese students at US universities, saying, "they're not the French, they're the Chinese. They spy on us. They steal our intellectual property." But Trump abruptly cut in to respond, saying: "Do you think the French are better, really? I will tell you, I'm not so sure."