From Fortune · Darlene Superville · · 1m 20s
Trump scraps the 10% tariff on Irish whiskey
A golf trophy ceremony in Ireland turned into a trade announcement, and the crowd heard it first.
In brief
A golf trophy ceremony in Ireland turned into a trade announcement, and the crowd heard it first. Irish whiskey is set to join Scotch in tariff-free territory, but nobody has said when it actually takes effect. Originally reported by Fortune.
A trophy ceremony, then a tariff cut
Trump used the closing ceremony of the Irish Open on Sunday to announce he is dropping the 10% tariff on Irish whiskey.
Even the golfers asked
He said the request came from all directions, including players at the tournament, before he made the call on the spot.
“Everybody's been bugging me”
What the 10% actually was
Irish whiskey sits under the blanket tariff Trump put on most EU imports, which dropped from 15% to 10% in July.
Scotch got there first
In May he lifted tariffs on U.K. whiskey, covering Scotch and spirits from Northern Ireland. The Scotch Whisky Association confirmed zero tariffs took effect July 24.
The King and Queen card
Trump credited a White House visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the U.K. break, posting that they got him to do what nobody else could.
“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!”
No date, no paperwork
The Irish Whiskey Association asked for this back in May, arguing it would steady U.S. firms and consumers. When the cut lands is still unknown.
In short
Irish whiskey is set to join Scotch in tariff-free territory, but nobody has said when it actually takes effect.
