France slams Trump's 'absurd' threats and insults about their wine
French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume called Trump’s tariff threat ‘completely moronic.’
French officials are calling Trump’s recent threat to slap a tariff on French wine a terrible idea.
“It’s absurd, in terms of having a political and economic debate, to say that ‘if you tax the GAFAs, I’ll tax wine,'” Didier Guillaume, the French agriculture minister, told a French television station Tuesday morning, according to Reuters.
“It’s completely moronic,” he added.
The ordeal began on Friday when Trump complained about a new tax France will levy on multinational technology companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple (GAFAs). In response to the tax, Trump mused adding a tariff to French wine before making bizarre statements comparing American wine to French wine.
“They shouldn’t have done this,” Trump said Friday about the new French tax, according to the Washington Post. “I told them, I said, ‘Don’t do it because if you do it, I’m going to tax your wine.'”
Then Trump, who does not drink alcohol, defended American wines.
“I’ve always liked American wines better than French wines,” he said. “I just like the way they look, OK?”
In 2015, Trump talked about the only time he drinks wine, which is at church. “When I drink my little wine — which is about the only wine I drink — and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness,” he told CNN. At the time, CNN did not ask whether Trump’s “little wine” was American or French.
While Trump may not be an oenophile, slapping a tariff on wines from France could financially benefit some American wineries. One winery that stands to gain is Trump Winery, located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, according to HuffPost. Trump purchased the property in 2011, and Eric Trump is listed as the owner. But in 2016, Trump bragged, “I own it 100 percent.”
The exchange over wine is not the first time French officials have been forced to address a “moronic” statement from Trump. When the Notre Dame Cathedral was ablaze in April, Trump suggested using “flying water tankers” to douse the fire.
“It was technically impossible, undoable, and most of all would have been utterly useless,” Col. Michael Bernier, a French fire official and spokesperson, said of Trump’s suggestion. “Everything would have collapsed.”
Trump’s trade wars have already threatened Americans with higher prices for washing machines, toys, and even beer. Now Trump may have to add more expensive wine to the list.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
Recommended
Biden campaign launches new ad focused on Affordable Care Act
Former President Trump has said he wants to do away with the popular health care law.
By Kim Lyons, Pennsylvania Capital-Star - May 08, 2024Trump leaves door open to banning medication abortion nationwide
Donald Trump is planning to release more details in the weeks ahead about how his administration would regulate access to medication abortion, according to comments he made during a lengthy interview with Time magazine published Tuesday.
By Jennifer Shutt, States Newsroom - April 30, 2024Biden on abortion rights: President expects to give speech Tuesday on new Florida 6-week ban
‘Having the president of the United States speaking out loud and with confidence about abortion access is a great thing’
By Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix - April 22, 2024