McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Tesla All Part of France’s Boycott Against the United States — Here’s Why

More than six out of 10 people in France support a boycott against McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Tesla, and other American products in response to Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs threatening to destabilize the world economy.

An Ifop study for NYC.eu polled a “representative national sample of 1,000 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over,” and it revealed that one in three French people had been actively avoiding American products. This avoidance, which is known as “Le Boycott” and is denoted on social media by the #BoycottUSA hashtag, has already lessened the view of the United States in France’s eye.

This, according to The Guardian, has done incalculable damage to the view of the United States in the eyes of Europeans, as France is America’s third-largest European trading partner.

Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Tesla, Starbucks, KFC, and X are now unacceptable U.S. brands in French eyes. Pollsters also noted that respondents had negative views of brands like Apple, Microsoft, Nike, and Converse, as well as booking platforms Airbnb and Tripadvisor.

According to the study, the French were particularly outraged by trade tariffs, Trump’s diversity and inclusion crackdown, and the behavior towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Trump’s promises to increase import duties on French and European wines and champagne to 200% have also dimmed enthusiasm for the United States.

This Is Bigger Than McDonald’s

The negative impact of the new French boycott against American companies like McDonald’s is bigger than one product or another. It’s indicative, experts say, of a larger problem — namely, that a recession is on the horizon.

Goldman Sachs issued a note on March 30 that painted a bleak picture of the American economy over the next 12 months, raising the odds of a U.S. recession to 35% (from 20% previously) while also raising projections for inflation (from 3% to 3.5%) and the unemployment rate, according to CNBC.

The investment bank now forecasts a 15% hike in tariff rates, which it previously classified as a “risk case” but now sees as the most likely conclusion.

“We continue to believe the risk from April 2 tariffs is greater than many market participants have previously assumed,” Goldman Sachs stated via its note. It also revised unemployment numbers to 3.5%, a positive adjustment of 0.3%.