French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly decided to opt out of U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial Gaza peace board, citing concerns over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s involvement. In a dramatic escalation, Trump threatened Macron with a staggering 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes if he refuses to join the initiative. The move has sparked tensions between the U.S. and France, raising questions about the future of Trump’s global peace plan and international diplomacy.
00:00U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stunning warning to one of America's closest allies,
00:12threatening a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne in a bid to pressure French
00:17President Emmanuel Macron into joining a controversial new global initiative
00:22known as the Gaza Board of Peace. Speaking late Monday, Trump dismissed Macron's refusal to join
00:29the board, saying the French leader would soon be out of office.
00:32I will not join the court of peace.
00:34Oh, did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he's going to be out of office very soon.
00:39So, you know, that's all right. What I'll do is if they feel like costal, I'll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he'll join.
00:48But he doesn't have to join. If he said that, you're probably giving it to me a little bit differently.
00:54But if he actually did say that, but as you know, he's going to be out of office in a few months.
00:59Did you invite President Putin to join the president?
01:02Yes, he's one of the people. These are world leaders. And the answer is yes.
01:08France has since pushed back with a source close to Macron calling the threat unacceptable and ineffective,
01:16confirming Paris will not join the initiative at this stage.
01:20Even more striking, Trump confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to sit on the board of peace.
01:27The Kremlin says Moscow is studying the proposal and hopes for further talks with Washington, though no decision has been announced.
01:36The Trump administration has also extended an invitation to Belarus to join the proposed Gaza Board of Peace.
02:02With Belarus foreign ministry confirming that President Donald Trump sent a letter to President Alexander Lukashenko proposing the country become a founding member.
02:11The Board of Peace was first proposed last September as part of Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza.
02:18But newly revealed invitations show the board's ambitions stretch far beyond the Middle East, aiming to intervene in conflicts across the globe.
02:27Recent messages exchanged between French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump released by Trump himself on True Social highlight growing tensions and diplomacy ahead of key global meetings,
02:42with Macron raising concerns over Trump's stance on Greenland, while proposing a broader G7 dialogue that could include Russia, Ukraine, Denmark, and Syria.
02:56According to the White House, the board would be chaired by Trump and would temporarily oversee Gaza's administration and reconstruction.
03:05Its structure remains unclear, and critics say world leaders were blindsided by its scope.
03:10Israel has also objected, saying it was not consulted on the board's design.
03:17European leaders are now scrambling to soften the proposal, trying to buy time, coordinate a response, and avoid further fractures in the transatlantic alliance.
03:28It's never been anything like it.
03:31The money being invested in our country is unparalleled.
03:34It's never been anything even close.
03:36Like many times more than China or any other country.
03:41Do you have any questions?
03:42Do you like Davos, or what will be your message to the leader of Davos?
03:46Well, I think I have a lot of messages for Davos, but the primary message is how well the United States is doing.
03:53And I say it all the time.
03:54A year and a half ago, we were in dead country, and now we have the hottest country in the world.
03:59I mean, you're beneficiaries, too.
04:00So if you look, some of you have 401ks, you don't have to tell me your numbers are the best they've ever been.
04:09And the stock market's at an all-time high.
04:12It's, we are just doing great.
04:15So I think the message in Davos, we're leaving, have an interesting time.
04:20We have a lot of meetings scheduled.
04:22But the message for Davos is how incredible our country is doing.
04:26Can you speak to your letter that you wrote to the Prime Minister, saying that the Nobel Prize has influenced your thinking on Greenland?
04:34No, I don't care about the Nobel Prize.
04:36First of all, a very fine woman felt that I deserved it and really wanted me to have the Nobel Prize.
04:43And I appreciate that.
04:44If anybody thinks that Norway doesn't control the Nobel Prize, they're just kidding.
04:52They have a board, but it's controlled by Norway.
04:54And I don't care what Norway says.
04:56But I really don't care about that.
04:59What I care about is saving lives.
05:01And I think I've saved tens of millions of lives.
05:05If you look at India, Pakistan, just as one, two nuclear powers.
05:09You look at so many of the countries that were in a 30, in some cases, a 35-year war.
05:16And I got it done.
05:18We stopped eight wars.
05:19And maybe we'll be stopping at night very soon.
05:22We'll see.
05:22What do you plan to say to European leaders in Davos when they push back on your Greenland plan?
05:29Well, I don't think they're going to push back too much.
05:31Look, we have to have it.
05:33They have to have this done.
05:35They can protect it.
05:36Denmark, they're wonderful people.
05:38And I know the leaders, they're very good people, but they don't even go there.
05:44And, you know, because a boat went there 500 years ago and then left, that doesn't give
05:49you title to property.
05:51So we'll be talking about it with the various people.
05:55We've had tremendous success.
05:58And, you know, I've done more for NATO than anybody else.
06:01I don't think you'd have NATO right now.
06:04I got them to go 5% and pay as opposed to 2% and not pay.
06:09I've done more than any other American president for NATO by far.
06:13And we'll see how that goes.
06:15But Greenland is very important.
06:17Have you invited President Putin to be a member of the Board of Peace?
06:22Yeah, he's been invited.
06:25Can you give me a response to President Macron?
06:28How can you say about the first year of your second term?
06:32Amazing.
06:33Tomorrow is the first year.
06:34Think of it.
06:35One year.
06:36I don't think there's been a term like it.
06:38I don't think any president has had a better first year than we've had in terms of success.
06:43Again, we've taken our country from a failure with open borders, no business, everything going badly, terrific inflation, the highest inflation in history, prices that are through the roof.
07:00And we've brought prices down.
07:01We have very little inflation.
07:03We have a great economy.
07:05And the prices are coming down still further.
07:07But I inherited a mess.
07:10And now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.
07:12Mr. President, do you think that you had any influence on the Giants signing a deal with Coach Arbaugh?
07:17And how do you think they'll do in New York?
07:18I don't know, but they've got a great coach.
07:20I like the coach.
07:21I like his brother.
07:22They came up to see me with about three months ago.
07:27They came up to see me in the White House.
07:29Did you know that?
07:30Yes, I did.
07:30With the mother and father.
07:31Because the mother likes me and the father likes me and I think they like me.
07:35And he's a great coach and he's going to do well with the Giants just like his brother does so well.
07:40Although they are, they've got something very special in their blood.
07:44And I'm happy for the Giants.
07:45They've got a great coach.
07:47It's nice that you ask.
07:48I did put out a, I put out a strong word.
07:51Hire Coach Arbaugh.
07:53President, do you know about the Fed?
07:57Will you make a decision for that?
07:58Yeah, I know who I want.
08:00Do you know who you want?
08:00In the Fed.
08:01When will you make a decision?
08:02I'll announce it sometime, but I know, I know who I want.
08:06You said securing the Arctic's Russian threats is important to you.
08:10Why are you upset about NATO allies, thinking that, you know, more seriously in Greenland by holding military exercises?
08:17Well, that wasn't a military.
08:18They sent a few people.
08:20And they say they sent them, not for me, but to guard against Russia.
08:25But, you know, NATO's been warning Denmark for about 20 years now, longer than that, 25 years.
08:32They've been warning Denmark about the Russian threat.
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