U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday at an Irish golf tournament that he plans to lift the 10 percent tariff on Irish whiskey.
An Unscheduled Announcement at the Irish Open
What started as the closing day of the Irish Open golf tournament at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel turned into a major trade announcement when U.S. President Donald Trump took to the microphone during the trophy ceremony. Speaking on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Doonbeg, Ireland, surrounded by spectators and tournament participants, Trump revealed his intention to roll back the import levy affecting Ireland's signature spirit.
The move caught attendees by surprise, drawing loud whistling and cheers from the crowd. According to reporting from the Associated Press, the president noted that he had faced persistent requests from multiple quarters to reconsider the tax, including from professional golfers, Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin (the country’s head of government), and Irish Open winner Shane Lowry.
“Everybody’s been bugging me about this one thing: ‘Would you do me a favor? It’s so unfair what’s going on. Could you possibly take the tariffs off of Irish whiskey?'” Trump said. “On behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off,” the president added, which prompted cheers and applause from the tournament’s attendees.
President Donald Trump, via USA Today
Lifting a 10 Percent Burden on a Vital Export Market
Irish whiskey, like most imports from the European Union, currently faces the standard import levy applied to most goods coming from the bloc. That baseline rate was reduced from 15% to 10% in July.
Speaking to reporters later in the day on Sept. 13, Trump clarified that he plans to only remove the tariff on Irish whiskey, not tariffs on any other EU products.
For Ireland's distilling sector, the United States represents a major market. The sector accounts for an estimated 450 million euros in annual exports, according to data from the Irish Whiskey Association.
Industry groups welcomed the development. In May, the Irish Whiskey Association called for the tariffs to be removed, arguing that such a step would help many U.S. companies with Irish products in their portfolios and avoid uncertainty for consumers.
Parallels with the United Kingdom Tariff Break
The decision regarding Irish whiskey mirrors a similar exemption granted earlier to British spirits. Trump noted that he decided to act after drawing comparisons with the treatment of U.K. products, which include Scotch and spirits produced in Northern Ireland.
In April, the administration lifted a 10% tariff on U.K. whiskey following a visit to the United States and the White House by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Trump stated on Truth Social that the U.K. already have it,
adding that was why the tariff on Irish whiskey was “unfair.” The Scotch Whisky Association confirmed on July 24 that the zero-tariff policy had come into effect.
“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!”
President Donald Trump, via USA Today
By removing the remaining barrier on Irish whiskey, the administration eliminates an existing discrepancy between how Dublin-produced spirits and British imports are treated in American ports.
Industry Response and the Broader Trade Landscape
Trade organizations in the United States were quick to praise the announcement. Chris Swonger, president & CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, called Trump’s announcement another positive step toward reducing barriers to spirits trade
and said everyone would benefit from it during the coming holidays.
“As U.S. hospitality businesses enter the critical holiday season, this action will provide a welcome boost for retailers, restaurants, consumers and the American economy,” Swonger said.
Yet this regional trade relaxation stands in sharp contrast to escalating economic tensions elsewhere. Even as the White House plans to drop levies on Irish spirits, tariffs remain in place on several countries, including the 50 percent imposed on numerous Canadian goods as Canada and the U.S. trade war rages on.
Those Canadian tariffs took effect last month after attempts at reaching a deal fell apart. Prime Minister Mark Carney cited three issues that torpedoed the negotiations: disagreements over extending the trade deal to include medium or heavy vehicles like trucks, the U.S. purportedly wanting to put limits on trade deals Canada could seek, and issues surrounding French language rules. Carney announced counter-tariffs would also be put on billions of dollars worth of U.S. exports, which took effect this past week.
In response to those counter-tariffs, Trump announced the U.S. would ban certain Canadian imports, including most alcohol, some dairy products, and motorcycles. Those bans are set to take effect Sept. 29. On Saturday, Trump also claimed Canada wants to reach a deal with the U.S. “very badly,” and suggested an agreement could come “fairly soon” if the Canadian government addressed his concerns about agricultural trade.
Unresolved Timeline and Implementation Details
While the president made his intentions clear during the golf tournament's trophy presentation, he did not immediately specify when he plans to formally make the change, and details on how soon the tariff would be lifted were not immediately available.
Importers, retailers, and distilleries on both sides of the Atlantic now await formal documentation to confirm when the zero-tariff policy will officially take effect.
