Trump hints at action over French wine tariffs

President Trump on Monday suggested he may take action to address what he deems an unfair tariff imbalance on wine imports and exports with France.

The president was defending his use of tariffs against China during an interview with CNBC when he cited other examples where he believes the U.S. is being treated unfairly on trade.

{mosads}”You know, France charges us a lot for the wine and yet we charge them little for French wine,” Trump said.

The president claimed that winemakers in California complained to him that French wine can be imported at little cost, but that they have to pay high duties to export their products into France.

“And you know what, it’s not fair,” Trump said. “We’ll do something about it.”

France does not set its own tariffs on wine — the duties are determined by the European Union. As a result, any tariffs imposed by the U.S. would apply to the entire trading bloc.

Trump, who does not drink alcohol, has raised the issue in the past. He tweeted in November 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.”

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 met last week with French President Emmanuel Macron following a ceremony in Normandy to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. It’s unclear if the two men discussed tariffs, or wine tariffs in particular, during their bilateral meeting.