US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on wine, champagne, and other alcoholic beverages imported from France and the European Union (EU). The warning comes in response to the EU’s recent move to slap a 50% tariff on American whiskey.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Thursday, calling the EU a “hostile and abusive” trade partner that has long taken advantage of the United States. Expressing his frustration, he demanded that the new whiskey tariff be scrapped immediately or face severe retaliation.
“If this Tariff is not removed immediately, the U.S. will shortly place a 200% Tariff on all wines, champagnes & alcoholic products coming out of France and other EU represented countries,” Trump warned, adding that such a move would boost the domestic wine and champagne industries in the US.
The EU’s tariff on American whiskey is part of a broader retaliatory measure against US tariffs on steel and aluminum. In addition to the whiskey tariff, the European Commission has announced plans to introduce counter-tariffs worth €26 billion ($28 billion) on various US goods starting next month.
With trade relations between the US and the EU already strained, Trump’s remarks have added further uncertainty to an already volatile economic landscape.
