Former US President Donald Trump mocked French President Emmanuel Macron by imitating his accent during a campaign event in Iowa while speaking on negotiations over taxes on American tech giants during his presidency. He also took a jab at current US President Joe Biden by ridiculing his walking style and saying that he "can't even find the stairs".
During the event, Trump recalled an alleged telephone conservation he had with Macron during his tenure at the White House when the French President proposed a 25 per cent tax on US tech giants operating in Mexico. He claimed to have threatened Macron with a 100 per cent tariff on French wine and champagne imports if the plan came into effect, the Telegraph reported.
"I said, ‘Emmanuel, how are you?’ He said, ‘fine.’ I said, ‘I heard you’re gonna charge American companies 25 per cent to do things in Mexico'. I said 'no, no, but you're not gonna do it Emmanuel'," Trump said at the Iowa. "'No, Donald, it has already passed," the Republican frontrunner for the upcoming elections further said, mocking Macron's French accent.
“I said, ‘well, you better un-pass it, because if you don’t un-pass it you are going to pay a 100 per cent tariff on all wines and champagnes that are shipped into the United States starting tonight'," he said. It is unclear which tariff the former President was referring to when he mentioned Mexico.
The alleged exchange appears to refer to trade tensions between Macron and Trump in 2019 when the latter was US President. Paris intended to move forward with a three per cent digital tax on the turnover generated in France by US digital giants including Google, Facebook and Amazon.
The tax, which is still in place, brought 700 million euros (£603 million) into French state coffers in 2023, and is expected to bring in 800 million euros (£688 million) this year.
Imitating the French leader’s allegedly panic-stricken response to his threat to respond with a 100 per cent tariff on champagne, handbags and other French products, Trump said: “No, no, no. You cannot do that, Donald, you cannot do that."
“I said, ‘I can do that. In fact, I’m just signing it right now.’ ‘No, no, no. I, okay, Donald, look. Okay. I’m not gonna do it. We’re not gonna do it'. That was the end of it. It was so easy,” he added.
The 77-year-old ex-President then targeted Biden. "He doesn't have a clue. The guy... he could not find the stairs off the stage... He's looking around," he said, imitating what appears to be the US President's walking style after he is finished with his campaign speech. Trump was reportedly referring to a recent video showing US First Lady Jill Biden escorting her husband off stage at a recent address near Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.
Trump v Biden
This is not the first time Trump has mocked Biden over several issues. Earlier this month, the former president made fun of Biden's speaking impediment after the latter called him a sore loser and a threat to American democracy. "Did you see him? He was stuttering through the whole thing. He's saying I'm a threat to democracy," Trump was quoted by the Washington Post as saying.
Trump has warned he could prosecute his successor Biden if he returns to the White House. The statement came as Trump returned for the first time in months to the federal courthouse in Washington on Tuesday as his lawyers argued to appeals judges that he was immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“If I don't get Immunity, then Crooked Joe Biden doesn't get Immunity, and with the Border Invasion and Afghanistan Surrender, alone, not to mention the Millions of dollars that went into his pockets' with money from foreign countries, Joe would be ripe for Indictment,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
He’s already signalling that he could use the appearance to portray himself as the victim of a politicised justice system. Though there’s no evidence that President Joe Biden has had any influence on the case, Trump’s argument could resonate with Republican voters in Iowa as they prepare to launch the presidential nomination process.
Trump also warned on Tuesday that if criminal charges against him aren't dropped, any current and future ex-presidents also could be prosecuted. "I feel that as a president, you have to have immunity, very simple... It's the opening of a Pandora's box and it's a very, very sad thing that's happened with this whole situation,” Trump said.
(with inputs from agencies)
