PARIS, April 9 (Reuters) - The leader of the main French

business federation, Patrick Martin, said on Wednesday he had

got it wrong on U.S. President Donald Trump, saying French firms

who applauded pro-business policies in January did not imagine

he would go ahead with tariffs.

Trump stunned business leaders on both sides of the Atlantic

when he unveiled a range of sweeping new tariffs on dozens of

U.S. trading partners on what he called "Liberation Day",

causing a stock market meltdown across the globe.

Many French business leaders had initially feted Trump's

return to power, with LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, who attended his

inauguration, talking about a "wind of optimism" in the U.S. and

shipping giant CMA CGM announcing a massive investment there.

Asked on RTL radio if business leaders regretted their

fascination or enthusiasm for Trump, Martin, the head of Medef,

which represents corporate giants such as Totalenergies

, LVMH and L'Oreal, said he did.

"I wouldn't say there was fascination or enthusiasm for

Trump, but yes, in a way, I take back what I said," Martin said.

"At the time, we acknowledged how well the U.S. economy was

doing and Trump's pro-business policies. We didn't imagine he

would implement what he had promised during his campaign --

tariffs that many think will be fatal for the U.S. market."

Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of countries took

effect on Wednesday, including massive 104% duties on Chinese

goods, deepening his global trade war even as he prepared for

negotiations with some nations.

French President Emmanuel Macron told business leaders last

week that European companies should suspend planned investment

in the United States for now, to avoid undermining European

efforts to negotiate with the Trump administration.