US President Donald Trump threatened to tax French wines on Friday in retaliation for France’s recent proposal to levy a tax aimed at big US technology companies.
Trump had told French President Emmanuel Macron last week that he was concerned about the proposed digital services tax.
“If anybody taxes them, it should be their home Country, the USA. We will announce a substantial reciprocal action on Macron’s foolishness shortly,” Trump tweeted on Friday. “I’ve always said American wine is better than French wine!”
Later in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters the tax decision was wrong and he threatened the key French export.
“They shouldn’t have done this,” Trump said. “I told them, I said, ‘Don’t do it because if you do it, I’m going to tax your wine.’”
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He said a few minutes later that the US response would be announced soon, saying that it “might be on wine, it might be on something else.”
