Trump mocks Macron, claims French president begged for mercy after THIS threat

New Delhi: Donald Trump, it seems, is on a sadistic roll. After abducting his Venezuela counterpart Nicolas Maduro and warning other Latin American nations, the US President has now decided to threaten France.  

What has Trump said now?

In the latest incident, Trump mocked his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. Trump claimed that he had threatened France with increased tariffs on all French medicines imported into the US. He said that Macron was frightened by this threat and capitulated. According to Trump, Macron begged him not to increase tariffs. The US President said that America has subsidized global healthcare for decades and that his "most favored nation" policy helped in getting quick compliance.

Addressing Republican lawmakers, Trump claimed that he asked the French leader to raise the prices of prescription drugs because American consumers were paying 14 times more than French consumers. He told France to either comply with American demands or face a hefty 25 percent tariff on all French products, including champagne and wine. According to Trump, the threat of tariffs made Macron yield to American demands.

What did Trump say about Macron?

Trump mimicked Macron, saying that the French leader told him, "Donald, I agree with you. I want to raise the prices of my prescription drugs by 200 percent, or whatever you want. Whatever you want, Donald, please don't tell the public, I beg you." 

According to Trump, the threat of tariffs on France was "42 times more expensive" than his demand. Complying with his demand, France increased the price of medicines from $10 to $30 per pill, while prices in the US decreased.

Why have tensions increased in the North Sea?

The United States has seized the Russian-flagged oil tanker, Marinera, in the North Sea. The US Navy had reportedly been monitoring the vessel for more than two weeks. This development came to light when Moscow attempted to deploy naval forces to protect the ship. Despite this, the US seized the oil tanker. According to a New York Times report, when the US Coast Guard seized the Marinera, no other Russian vessels were present in the vicinity. This prevented a confrontation between American and Russian forces.

Russia's state broadcaster RT shared photos showing a helicopter approaching the Russian tanker. Reuters, citing two US officials, reported that US forces were attempting to board the vessel.

The Russian oil tanker is named Bella 1. The US imposed sanctions on this tanker in 2024.  Later, the tanker's name was changed to Marinera. This Russian tanker was en route from Iran to Venezuela.