US President Donald Trump has unleashed an economic “hurricane” whose consequences will ripple across the globe for years, French Prime Minister François Bayrou warned on Tuesday, urging France to cut its soaring deficit before it’s too late.
“The president of the United States has started a hurricane whose consequences will not end any time soon,” Bayrou said at a press conference, referring to Trump’s escalating trade war and reversal of long-standing alliances.
Calling the moment a “tsunami of destabilisation,” Bayrou cited the growing threat of a belligerent Russia and Trump's combative trade policy as twin forces shaking the foundations of global order. He said France’s high debt and widening budget deficit left it particularly vulnerable.
“As if war weren’t enough, a tsunami of destabilisation came to shake up the planet,” Bayrou added, pointing to Trump's treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a tense Oval Office meeting as a sign of fractured diplomacy.
The unusually sharp remarks come as Bayrou’s minority government prepares for high-stakes 2026 budget talks. He warned that France’s fiscal credibility is at risk and urged lawmakers to support urgent belt-tightening measures to stabilise the economy.