From Business Insider · Truman Dickerson · · 1m 20s
Trump says the Irish whiskey tariff is going away
A golfer and a prime minister asked Trump to drop the 10% whiskey tariff, and he said yes on the spot.
In brief
A golfer and a prime minister asked Trump to drop the 10% whiskey tariff, and he said yes on the spot. Trump's tariffs are personal and negotiable, so a direct ask at the right moment can undo a policy that lobbying could not. Originally reported by Business Insider.
They just asked him
Golfer Shane Lowry and Ireland's prime minister asked Trump to drop the tariff on Irish whiskey. He said Sunday he would do it.
“Everybody's been bugging me.”
A crowd that cheered
Trump announced it in remarks at the Irish Open, and the crowd roared. The tariff in question sits at 10%.
“They're saying, can you do me a favor? It's so unfair what's going on.”
America drinks it
Ireland's public broadcaster said about 45% to 50% of Irish whiskey is exported to the US, making America its single biggest market.
The industry asked first
Back in May, the Irish whiskey association publicly called for the tariff to go, arguing it hurt US companies selling Irish premium brands.
“It would avoid uncertainty for the US consumer and strengthen the cask trade in Kentucky, Tennessee and other US states.”
Where the tariff came from
Trump imposed the 10% rate in February as part of a temporary global tariff on most imports. It caught Jameson, Bushmills, Tullamore D.E.W. and Redbreast.
The wider wreckage
His second-term tariffs have rattled markets, strained ties with allies like Canada, and drawn legal challenges. He calls them a way to rebalance unfair trade.
The key point
Trump's tariffs are personal and negotiable, so a direct ask at the right moment can undo a policy that lobbying could not.
