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.
