US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on French wines and Champagne following rumours that French President Emmanuel Macron will refuse to join his “Board of Peace”.

The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of war-torn Gaza but is expected to expand to deal with other conflicts. Trump confirmed he had also invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the board.

When asked about Macron’s snub by reporters, Trump replied: “Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon.

“So you know, that’s all right. What I’ll do is, if they feel like [being] hostile, I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join.”

The United States is the largest export market for French Champagne by volume and value. The industry is already battling falling sales, with Drinks Business reporting number of bottles of Champagne shipped worldwide, including the domestic market, totalled 266 million in 2025 ­– representing a decline of 5 million bottles, or a drop of 2% on the previous year.

“Tariff threats to influence our foreign policy are unacceptable and ineffective,” a source close to Macron told AFP.

In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Macron said: “Let’s not accept a global order that will be decided by those who claim to have the biggest voice or the biggest stick.

“We do prefer respect to bullies; we do prefer science to relativism; and we do prefer rule of law to brutality.” 

Trump’s threat to the French wine industry follows his warning over the weekend that the US would impose tariffs of up to 25% on eight European countries, including the United Kingdom, until the US is given control of Greenland.

In response, the European Union has effectively suspended the ratification of the trade deal it negotiated with the US last year. Europe is also considering retaliatory tariffs that could heavily impact the American spirits industry, which is already battling falling sales, with Jim Beam recently announcing it would close one of its biggest distilleries for a year.

Additionally, almost three-quarters of Canadians continue to support boycotts of American alcohol brands according to a Nanos Research Group poll for Bloomberg.

The boycotts have resulted in a 91% fall in sales of American wine to Canada since 2024, while spirits producers are also suffering. Jack Daniel’s, for example, saw organic net sales of its Tennessee whiskey to Canada plummet by more than 60% in the first half of FY26.