Trump says US will scrap 10% tariff on Irish whiskey at Irish Open

Donald Trump said at the Irish Open trophy ceremony that the US will remove its 10% tariff on Irish whiskey. The surprise pledge was welcomed by the crowd, but the timeline and formal process remain unclear.

In Short

• Trump made the announcement during the Irish Open trophy ceremony in Ireland
• He said golfers and others had repeatedly pressed him to remove it
• Spectators responded with cheers, while no timeline for removal was provided

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he plans to remove the 10% tariff currently imposed on Irish whiskey, making the surprise declaration during the trophy ceremony at the Irish Open golf tournament in Ireland, Associated Press reported.

Trump said he had been repeatedly asked to remove the tariff, including by some golfers attending the tournament. “Everybody’s been bugging me” to do it, he said, adding, “On behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off” Irish whiskey.

The announcement drew loud cheers and whistles from spectators at the tournament. However, details on when the tariff would be lifted were not immediately available.

IRISH WHISKEY FACES 10% US TARIFF

Irish whiskey currently faces the standard tariff imposed by the Trump administration on most imports from the European Union. The rate was reduced from 15% to 10% in July.

The Irish Whiskey Association had called for the tariff to be removed in May, arguing that doing so would benefit US companies that sell Irish products and reduce uncertainty for consumers.

Trump had earlier granted tariff relief to whiskey from the United Kingdom. In May, he announced that certain tariffs on UK whiskey, including Scotch and spirits made in Northern Ireland, would be lifted.

The Scotch Whisky Association said on July 24 that the zero-tariff policy for Scotch whisky had come into effect.

TRUMP LINKED UK WHISKEY RELIEF TO ROYAL VISIT

Trump said on April 30 that he had given the UK a tariff break on whiskey after King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the White House.

“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump said in a social media post at the time.

His latest announcement could now provide similar relief to Irish whiskey producers and US businesses importing and selling the spirit, although the timing and formal process for removing the tariff remain unclear.

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