From Gaza to Greenland, Trump turns tariffs into leverage—and Europe into the test case.
U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his trade-as-coercion strategy, threatening a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne after France signaled it would not join his proposed international “Board of Peace.”
The threat came after an aide to French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris “does not intend” to accept an invitation to the board, an initiative Trump first floated last September as part of a plan to end the Gaza war but has since expanded into a loose framework for mediating global conflicts.
“Nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” Trump said when told of Macron’s likely refusal. “I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join—but he doesn’t have to join.”
Macron’s term runs until May 2027, and French officials have so far dismissed Trump’s remarks as political theater. But the threat underscores a broader shift: tariffs are no longer just economic tools in Trump’s playbook—they are instruments of diplomatic pressure.
According to a draft charter seen by Reuters, countries invited to the Board of Peace would be expected to contribute $1 billion in cash to secure membership beyond three years. The document proposes Trump as the board’s inaugural chairman, with authority over membership decisions. Invitations reportedly went out to a wide—and controversial—list of leaders, including Vladimir Putin, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Critics warn the board could undermine the United Nations by creating a parallel, pay-to-participate forum with unclear mandates and opaque decision-making. The publication by Trump of a private text exchange with Macron—shared on Truth Social—has only deepened concerns about the initiative’s seriousness and intent.
The dispute also folds into a wider transatlantic clash. Washington has already warned that eight European countries—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland—could face 10% tariffs from February unless they support U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, a move Europe has rejected as a violation of Danish sovereignty.
EU officials are weighing retaliatory options, including tariffs on €93 billion worth of U.S. goods and the activation of the bloc’s anti-coercion instrument, designed to counter economic pressure used to force policy change.
“I don’t think they’re going to push back too much,” Trump said of Europe. “We have to have it… They can’t protect it.”
For Europe, the pattern is becoming unmistakable: sovereignty disputes, security alliances, and economic penalties are being braided together. For Washington, the message is equally clear—participation is optional, but resistance may come at a steep price.
