Emmanuel Macron is preparing to take his case against tariffs directly to Donald Trump, maintaining a position he’s held with increasing intensity: trade barriers hurt everyone sitting at the table, the US included.
A pattern of escalating rhetoric
Macron hasn’t been shy about his views on Trump’s trade agenda. He’s called proposed tariffs “brutal and unfounded” and, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, went further, describing additional trade barriers as “crazy” and “fundamentally unacceptable.”
The numbers help explain the frustration. Tariff proposals have ranged from an initial 10% to as high as 25%, with some scenarios involving retaliatory measures that could push duties on French wine and champagne up to 200%.
At the G7 summit in Alberta in June 2025, the two leaders discussed tariffs alongside other pressing geopolitical issues, including the Middle East and Ukraine.
