Source: Politico
“Top French officials are furious about the trade deal reached Sunday between the United States and the European Union. Prime Minister François Bayrou on Monday led a chorus of searing criticism against the agreement from across the French political spectrum, many of whom urged Brussels to wield the threat of retaliation to obtain better terms. ‘It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to assert their values and defend their interests, resigns itself to submission,’ Bayrou wrote on X. Key figures from Bayrou’s government argued that — while it was good to obtain a measure of stability by locking in 15 percent tariffs on most EU imports to fend off the threat of looming 30 percent duties set to take effect on Aug. 1 — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her negotiating team failed to properly leverage the EU’s massive single market and kowtowed to U.S. President Donald Trump.” (07/28/25)