President Donald Trump turned the trade war playbook on drug pricing, threatening 100% duties on French wines to pressure President Emmanuel Macron into lowering global medicine costs. The revelation came during a speech at a Georgia steel facility, where Trump detailed his hardball diplomacy.
Announcing a policy to match U.S. drug prices to the world’s cheapest, Trump said he directly confronted foreign counterparts via phone. Americans, he argued, are gouged relentlessly—paying up to 13-fold markups compared to international buyers.
The Macron call was pivotal. ‘He said no at first—my business would collapse,’ Trump quoted. Undeterred, Trump issued the ultimatum: comply or face crippling tariffs on all French wine and champagne imports. Victory was swift: ‘He said yes, he’d do it gladly.’
Leaders from Germany, Spain, and beyond folded similarly under tariff pressure, validating Trump’s conviction that duties drive deals. He reminisced, ‘I always said tariffs are my top word—they’ve brought manufacturing back strong.’ Linking this to drug reforms, Trump noted he’s pausing some duties pending Supreme Court clarity.
Economic triumphs abound under his watch: $18 trillion-plus in pledges over 11 months, soaring stocks post-election. This episode highlights Trump’s fusion of trade levers with healthcare battles, a tactic with potential global fallout.
U.S. drug costs have long drawn ire versus European benchmarks. Pharma lobbies counter that forced cuts could stifle R&D and disrupt worldwide chains, fueling political firestorms. Trump’s wine gambit marks a provocative escalation.