François Bayrou sounds alarm on the potentially devastating effects of American trade policy. According to him, the new customs duties imposed by Donald Trump could make France lose “more than 0.5 % of his GDP”. © Christophe Archambault / AFP Backup safeguarded Receiving François Bayrou alerts in a context of increasing tensions between the two banks of the Atlantic, François Bayrou did not mince his words. In an interview with the Parisian this Saturday, April 5, he believes that the protectionist measures decided by Donald Trump, which brutally impose new customs duties on foreign imports, constitute a direct threat to the French and European economy. “Trump’s decision is serious,” he alerts. “The taxation of these delusional customs rights will lead to a planetary crisis.” The Prime Minister considers that the first victims of this trade war may well be the Americans themselves. But in the meantime, France is not spared. Bayrou evokes a potential loss of “more than 0.5 % of GDP” and anticipates an “economic slowdown, an investment stop” as well as the destruction of “very numerous jobs”. “It’s an earthquake,” he says. To read also: Growth: “We are necessarily worried” for the French economy, according to Panosyan-Bouvet an appeal to the mobilization of French and European industrialists in the face of this customs offensive, the head of government calls for a concerted response on a European scale. “Our continent is attacked in the most virulent way possible,” he said, adding that it is “legitimate that manufacturers and investors, French and European, understand that it is their common duty to put pressure on the government of the United States”. Bayrou proposes in particular that companies reconsider their investments across the Atlantic: “retain their investments can be an effective means. Do you imagine if the major European investment decisions in the United States continued as before? The President of the United States could say: “My policy works very well!” To read also: Budget 2025: Can France take the shock of Trump’s taxes? The threat of a world without rules the Prime Minister remains cautious about the nature of the European response, specifying that “no decision is made” and that these are “European, not national” decisions. He nevertheless considers essential to make Donald Trump heard the consequences of his actions: “He cannot maintain this policy long which is the cause of a global crisis.” Beyond economic consequences, François Bayrou sees in this strategy a deeper signal: an ideological tilting in which democratic values and the rule of law are called into question. He made a striking historical parallel: “For three quarters of a century, we believed that our conception of democracy was going to impose itself everywhere on the planet. We brutally discover that we have changed people. ” To read also: “Do not give in to the bluff”: the boss of Medef responds to Donald Trump on customs duties a warning to the French opposition for him, “some try to constitute an international, illiberal”, citing Donald Trump, Viktor Orban and the Kremlin. A drift which, according to him, threatens global stability and the cohesion of democratic societies. Finally, Bayrou uses this international crisis to send a message to French oppositions, in particular to the National Rally. While Donald Trump has publicly supported Marine Le Pen by denouncing “a witch hunt”, François Bayrou castigates what he perceives as an ideological collusion: “The events show that they all go on this side.” And to call for responsibility: “Those who choose instability and disorder would seriously harm our country.” NL Eco class, Business class >> Take advantage of the best capital by registering for the new capital newsletter: eco class, business class receive our latest news every day, the selection of the main news of the day. (tagstotranslate) fran u00e7ois bayrou
