Trump Threatens 200% Tariff on French Wines and Champagne

US President Donald Trump has said that he will impose a 200% ⁠tariff on French wines and champagnes, a move he claimed would push the French president to join Mr Trump's so-called 'Board of Peace' initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. When asked by a reporter about Emmanuel Macron saying he will not join the board, Mr Trump said: "Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon. "I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join, but he doesn't have to join," Mr Trump said. France intends to decline the invitation to join the initiative, at this stage, a source close to Mr Macron said yesterday. Watch: 'I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he'll join', Trump says of Macron Mr Trump ⁠originally proposed establishing the board of peace when he announced last September his plan to ⁠end the war in Gaza. However an invitation sent to world leaders last week outlines a broad role ending conflicts ⁠globally. A draft ⁠charter sent to about 60 countries by the US administration calls for members to contribute $1 billion in cash if they want their membership to last more ⁠than three years, according to the document seen by Reuters. Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to Mr Trump's invitation, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations. Yesterday, Mr Trump also said he has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to be a member of the peace board. "He's been invited," Mr Trump said. Europe won't 'push back too much' on Greenland Mr Trump has also said that he thought European leaders would not "push back too much" on his attempt to buy Greenland. "I don't think they're gonna push back too much. We have to have it. They have to have this done," he told a reporter yesterday who asked what Mr Trump planned to say to European leaders who opposed his plans. Watch: Trump says Denmark cannot protect Greenland The ⁠US president has said that he had a "very good" telephone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte concerning Greenland. Mr Trump also said he had agreed to a meeting of various parties at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He did not specify who the various parties were. Yesterday, he said that the US would talk about acquiring Greenland at the World Economic Forum because Denmark cannot protect the territory. "We have to ⁠have it. They have to ⁠have this done. They can't protect it, ⁠Denmark, they're ⁠wonderful people," he told reporters. Harris to meet EU commissioners as US trade tensions grow Meanwhile, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris is to meet senior European commissioners as concern grows over the escalating trade tensions between the EU and the US, as the US president steps up his pursuit of Greenland. Over the weekend, Mr Trump threatened tariffs on six EU countries as well as Norway and the UK because they opposed his ambitions to take over Greenland. The EU trades as a bloc and it is likely that if additional tariffs were imposed, they would be imposed on all EU member states, including Ireland. Last year, after months of negotiations, Mr Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed a deal which limited tariffs at 15% on EU goods entering the US. Yesterday, Mr Trump declined to say whether he would use force to seize Greenland in an interview published in NBC News this afternoon. "No comment," Mr Trump told the network in a brief telephone interview when asked if he would use force to seize Greenland. Mr Harris will hold talks with EU Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis and Commissioner for Financial Services Maria Luís Albuquerque. EU finance ministers will also meet to discuss potential US tariffs. Mr Harris will tell the meeting that Europe is facing an "existential moment". He will also warn that the risk of a "spiral of events" which could inflict significant economic damage on European economies, and on the US economy too, is real and cannot be overstated. In a statement, Mr Harris said: "We can achieve so much more through cooperation than conflict. We have a trade deal which brings much-needed certainty, and every effort should be made to ensure that it remains the framework that governs trade between the EU and the US. "Now is a time for cool heads and for further dialogue. The destabilising effects of these geopolitical developments, should they proceed, are potentially enormous. "Europe will stand united and respond accordingly, but for now dialogue is so important to try and find a way forward."