US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron may have enjoyed a special "bromance" over the weekend's Armistice commemoration, but that could be coming to an end after Trump mocked the nation over the world wars.
The US president issued a heavily loaded tweet on Tuesday in which he said the French "were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along". He also repeated his accusation that Macron had demanded a European army to protect itself against the US.
Emmanuel Macron suggests building its own army to protect Europe against the U.S., China and Russia. But it was Germany in World Wars One & Two - How did that work out for France? They were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along. Pay for NATO or not!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018
Trump's latest tweet signaled a wine trade war could be next on the cards. The EU's import tariffs on US wine range from $0.11 to $0.29 per 750ml bottle. According to the California-based Wine Institute, the US charges between $0.05 and $0.14 per 750ml bottle.
On Trade, France makes excellent wine, but so does the U.S. The problem is that France makes it very hard for the U.S. to sell its wines into France, and charges big Tariffs, whereas the U.S. makes it easy for French wines, and charges very small Tariffs. Not fair, must change!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2018
Trump also took a stab at the French president himself by calling out Macron's low approval ratings, before urging the nation to take a leaf out of his book and "MAKE FRANCE GREAT AGAIN".
The French president has not responded to his US counterpart's tweets. However, bringing up Trump's decision to cancel a visit to an American cemetery outside Paris due to rain, the Armée de Terre posted a picture on its Twitter page of a soldier training in the rain with the words: "It is raining, but it is not serious".
Macron and Trump have enjoyed various moments and celebrations together in which handholding and camaraderie have taken center stage, but the latest round of Trump tweets could bring the pair to blows.
