Trump unveiled sweeping global tariffs in April in which he said countries would face taxes on imports into the US ranging from 10% to 50%, though he later reversed course and mostly lowered them for 90 days.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday rejected Macron’s characterisation, insisting tariffs were an effective tool to rebuild US manufacturing. She said Trump remained in discussions on trade to aid American workers.
“Europe and the rest of the world might not be used to that, but President Trump is back in town and he’s going to do what’s right for our people and our country,” she said.
The UN trade agency had said the tariffs could have a catastrophic effect on developing countries, with some of the world’s least developed, such as Lesotho, Cambodia, Laos, Madagascar and Myanmar, facing some of the highest levies.
Macron, a vocal critic of Washington’s tariff campaign, has also said it is an aberration to ask Europeans to spend more on defence while launching a trade war.
Reuters