Macron slams Trump’s tariff blitz as “brutal and unfounded,” calls for EU-wide retaliation and suspension of major French investments in the U.S.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on European firms to freeze U.S. investments in response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs, escalating transatlantic economic tensions and threatening multibillion-dollar deals.
Tariff War Escalates: Macron Urges Freeze on U.S. Investments, Threatens EU Retaliation
In a sharp escalation of the transatlantic economic standoff, French President Emmanuel Macron has called on European companies to immediately suspend planned investments in the United States, following President Donald Trump’s aggressive rollout of reciprocal tariffs on global trade.
“Investments to come or investments announced in recent weeks should be suspended until things are clarified with the United States,” Macron declared on Thursday, sending shockwaves through both European boardrooms and Washington’s economic circles.
The move directly targets high-profile French commitments such as CMA CGM’s $20 billion U.S. port infrastructure plan and Schneider Electric’s $700 million expansion to support America’s AI-powered energy needs. Trump himself had championed these deals just days earlier as evidence of a booming U.S. industrial revival — a narrative Macron now seeks to unravel.
The French president didn’t stop at corporate caution. He signaled the EU might deploy its anti-coercion mechanism, a potent tool designed to counter trade bullying, while hinting at countermeasures in digital services and U.S. financial interests. “The response this time,” Macron warned, “will be more powerful than what we did after the steel and aluminum tariffs.”
Calling Trump’s tariffs “brutal and unfounded,” Macron framed the White House’s move as a direct assault on the rules-based international order. “This is a shock to global trade,” he said, pledging that Europe would respond industry by industry, deal by deal.
The clash marks a critical juncture in U.S.-EU economic relations, with billions of euros in corporate commitments hanging in the balance. And it’s not just France watching nervously — European leaders now face a defining choice: comply, retreat, or retaliate.
If Macron’s call catches momentum, it could spark the most serious economic rupture between Washington and Europe in over a decade — and send a chilling message to foreign investors weighing Trump’s “America First” doctrine against rising geopolitical risk.
