During the campaign leading up to the U.S. presidential election on November 5, Donald Trump reiterated his intention to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, a move he previously made during his first term in 2017. In contrast, the current U.S. President Joe Biden acted swiftly after taking office in 2019, rejoining the climate pact as one of his first key decisions.
French President Emmanuel Macron has sought to position himself as a leading figure in the global response to Trump’s potential return to the White House. He was notably the first Western leader to congratulate Trump on his election win and has urged European nations to prepare more thoroughly for a possible trade war.
Amid domestic challenges, including a ballooning public spending deficit and a fragmented parliament, Macron has scaled back his involvement in day-to-day politics. He appears keen, however, to take a prominent role in the international response to Trump.
Addressing another of Trump’s favored topics, Macron warned of the potential “fragmentation” of the global order if powerful economies become entangled in a profound trade war. Trump has notably threatened to impose a universal 10% tariff on all imports and a significant 60% tariff specifically on Chinese goods.
“Any disruption of the international order through aggressive tariff policies by the stronger economies will prompt others to follow suit,” Macron cautioned.
The French president made these remarks during a roundtable discussion at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, marking one of the few publicized speeches from the event.
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