Trump claims he averted trade war with France during presidency

Former US president and republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that he prevented a trade war with France during his time in office.

Speaking at a rally in Duluth, Georgia on October 23, the Republican presidential candidate told supporters, "You have no idea what I did in the White House. I stopped wars... With France," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

Trump commented on France's plan to impose a 25 percent tariff on American companies. He emphasized the need to protect American businesses, regardless of personal feelings towards them. Trump indicated that while he might not always favour certain companies, his responsibility was to safeguard their interests in the face of external economic measures.

Though Trump did not specify which goods France was allegedly planning to tax, his comments appeared to refer to a 2019 dispute over France's attempt to introduce a digital services tax on large American tech companies like Google and Facebook.

At the time, Trump condemned the proposed policy as "foolish," responding by imposing a 100 percent tariff on French products, including cheese and handbags.

During his speech, Trump also alluded to Google, suggesting his earlier comments were connected to the tech tax issue. "I didn't even like. You know, Google is treating us much better. Do you notice that? What happened to Google? They're treating us much better. Very nice," Trump said. He went on to thank the company, referencing a recent photo-op at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania where he briefly worked the fryer, which he claimed had become one of the most-viewed images online. "They say McDonald's was one of the most viewed things that they've ever had," he remarked.

Notably, the trade tensions Trump referred to stem from a long-standing dispute between the US and Europe over state subsidies to aerospace companies Boeing and Airbus. These tensions escalated during Trump’s presidency, with the US accusing Airbus of receiving unfair subsidies from European governments. In response, the World Trade Organisation allowed the US to impose tariffs on European goods.

Despite Trump’s assertions that he "stopped wars," France’s digital services tax on American tech companies remains in place.

By Aghakazim Guliyev