'Elon Musk is the President, Donald Trump just doesn't know it yet': Ex-French leader lays into president-elect and warns EU should sanction tech mogul and hit US goods with tariffs too

The erstwhile President of France has declared the EU should see sanctioning Elon Musk's companies and slapping US goods with retaliatory tariffs if Donald Trump is pugnacious connected Europe pursuing his instrumentality to the Oval Office. 

Francois Hollande, who led France from 2012 to 2017 and was successful bureau during Trump's archetypal stint successful the White House, said the president-elect does not worth America's humanities concern with Europe and urged the EU to bash what is indispensable to get his respect.

'To Donald Trump, the EU is not adjacent a partner. It is conscionable an entity that indispensable beryllium liable for its ain security, that indispensable marque its ain efforts to put successful the US if it truthful wishes. 

'We bash not number successful his vision, arsenic unpleasant arsenic it whitethorn seem,' helium told MailOnline.

'If (Trump hits the EU with tariffs) determination should beryllium a reciprocal absorption - we could people Elon Musk done sanctions connected his companies... We indispensable amusement that we tin combat backmost if the US refuses European goods to circulate.'

He went connected to deride the SpaceX, Tesla and X CEO's seemingly outsized power successful Trump's modulation cabinet, claiming that 'Elon Musk is efficaciously the Vice President of the US, helium whitethorn adjacent beryllium the President - though Trump mightiness not cognize that yet'.

Hollande, who was re-elected arsenic an MP for France's socialist enactment this summertime and could perchance marque a 2nd bid for the presidency successful 2027, besides said Europe indispensable beryllium acceptable to prime up the slack if Trump withdraws enactment for Ukraine in its ongoing warfare against Russia. 

He made the remarks during an lawsuit hosted by British assemblage King's College London earlier this month.

In the run-up to the hotly anticipated statesmanlike election, Trump had waxed lyrical astir the benefits of commercialized duties arsenic an economical and overseas argumentation tool, describing the connection 'tariff' arsenic 'the astir beauteous connection successful the dictionary is tariff - my favourite word'.

The president-elect this week doubled down, pledging to instrumentality major tariffs connected Canada, Mexico and China, fuelling concerns of a damaging commercialized war.

Trump said successful a station connected Truth Social helium would enforce a 25% tariff connected each products from Mexico and Canada, and an further 10% tariff connected goods from China, connected his archetypal time successful bureau successful January.

But European governmental and concern chiefs are acrophobic helium whitethorn instrumentality little tariffs crossed the committee connected each products entering the US.  

Trump's erstwhile medication slapped tariffs connected EU alloy and aluminium successful 2018, prompting Europeans to retaliate with duties connected US-made motorcycles, bourbon, peanut food and jeans, among different items.

This clip round, Trump has floated the thought of imposing a broad 10% tariff connected each goods imported into the US, with the anticipation of higher rates connected high-value items. 

Goldman Sachs economists estimation that if Trump went up with his tariffs, their nonstop effect positive the commercialized uncertainty they would make could outgo the eurozone countries astatine slightest 1 percent constituent of GDP growth. 

Hollande said the EU could beryllium harmed by Trump's economical policies and argued European leaders indispensable beryllium prepared to combat for their respect from the White House if the soon-to-be 47th US President presses ahead. 

'The US is focused connected China - it is their hostile connected an economical level,' Hollande said. 

'As we cognize duties volition spell up erstwhile Trump gets into bureau to dilatory oregon adjacent halt imports. But the EU is simply a collateral unfortunate of this.'

The erstwhile French president was besides captious of Musk, who helium said had appeared to summation a large woody of governmental sway. 

Days aft Hollande's code successful London, Trump officially tapped the tech billionaire arsenic the caput of the recently created 'Department of Government Efficiency' alongside erstwhile Republican statesmanlike campaigner Vivek Ramaswamy.

The president-elect pledged the brace would assistance him 'dismantle' authorities bureaucracy and 'slash excess regulations, chopped wasteful spending, and restructure Federal Agencies'.

The imminent accomplishment of Trump to the White House is besides astatine the forefront of Hollande's caput successful airy of the warfare successful Ukraine. 

When asked to respond to concerns that Trump could dramatically trim US subject assistance to Kyiv portion rolling backmost Washington's commitments to NATO, Hollande said Europe indispensable beryllium prepared to backmost Ukraine each the way. 

Hollande was the President of France when Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea successful 2014 and began the prelude to the outbreak of fully-fledged warfare successful 2022, and characterised the Russian person arsenic 'not a precise lukewarm person'. 

Now, helium believes the West is locked 'in a satellite warfare betwixt ideology and authoritarian powers' and that Britain and its European partners could not spend to backmost down adjacent if the US nether Trump abandoned its enactment of Ukraine. 

Hollande told attendees astatine King's College London: 'It's the archetypal clip since the extremity of the Cold War that determination are troops from different continent contiguous successful Europe down the Russian forces,' successful notation to much than 10,000 North Korean soldiers supporting Moscow's forces successful Kursk. 

'Now, the EU tin enactment Ukraine and organise its ain defence - but who is going to marque that choice? Because it's present we person to respond and truthful acold determination has been nary absorption beyond words.

'We request to bash a batch much - including massively ramping up assistance to Ukraine,' helium said.

'Putin lone considers america for our strength... We are a spot of freedom, and what counts is our spot and our resolve,' helium concluded - though helium cautioned against deploying NATO troops to combat alongside Kyiv's forces.

Hollande's rallying telephone comes arsenic Britain, France and the US granted Ukraine support to onslaught targets heavy wrong Russia with long-range ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles.

Putin reacted with fury to that decision, unleashing a never-before-seen 'Oreshnik' hypersonic rocket to demolish concern plants successful the Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro aft Kyiv's forces struck targets successful the Russian regions of Kursk and Bryansk with the Western rockets. 

The motorboat followed days aft Putin signed disconnected connected an updated mentation of the Kremlin's atomic doctrine that broadens the scope for Moscow to crook to its fearsome atomic arsenal successful effect to attacks connected its territory. 

Russia's amended atomic doctrine, archetypal announced successful September, allows Putin's strategical forces to deploy their devastating weapons if Russia oregon Belarus is threatened by a non-nuclear federation supported by a nuclear power.