U.S. President Donald Trump said he would lift tariffs on Irish whiskey during comments made at the end of a golf tournament in Ireland.
Trump had been facing questions about the current 10 percent tariff imposed on Irish whiskey.
During the trophy ceremony for the Irish Open, Trump said that he had been asked about the issue by everyone, including some of the golfers.
“Everybody’s been bugging me” about the tariff, Trump said. “And I said, ‘On behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off Irish whiskey.’”
The tariff is imposed on imports from the European Union. Trump announced in April that he was removing certain tariffs on U.K. whiskey, which includes Scotch and spirits made in Northern Ireland.
The crowd cheered when Trump made the announcement.
The Irish Whiskey Association had called for the tariff to be removed in April after Trump announced an exemption for whiskey produced in the United Kingdom. The Irish Whiskey Association said Irish whiskey exports to the United States were valued at about $525 million annually, based on the current exchange rate.
Removing the tariff would benefit U.S. companies carrying premium Irish products, reduce uncertainty for Americans, and support the barrel-making industry in Kentucky, Tennessee, and other states, the association said. Ireland is the European Union’s largest importer of American oak casks, with most Irish whiskey matured in barrels previously used to produce bourbon.
The association also noted that Irish whiskey is a protected product encompassing the entire island. That meant the same product faced different U.S. tariffs depending on whether it was produced in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, or the Republic of Ireland, an EU member.
Trump said he would remove a tariff on whiskey produced in Scotland after King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s White House visit in April.
“In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland and Kentucky,” Trump posted on Truth Social on April 30.
“People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great Inter-Country Trade, especially having to do with the Wooden Barrels used. The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the U.S.A.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the percent tariff currently placed on Irish whisky. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
