WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is removing certain tariffs on Scotch whisky after this week's White House visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom.
"The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!" Trump posted on social media. Trump said people had wanted this change, especially concerning the wooden barrels used for aging Scotch and bourbon.
Trump has previously used alcohol as a pressure point in tariff negotiations. Last year, he threatened a 200% tariff on European wine, a major potential blow to French and Italian vineyards that never materialized.
Foreign countries have responded with threats on bourbon and other American products. Ultimately, the Trump administration exempted cork from tariffs, providing major relief to Portugal, the leading supplier of the material used for wine bottle caps.
Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council in the U.S., interpreted Trump's post as a removal of the 10% tariff on whisky from the United Kingdom.
"We applaud President Trump for working to restore a proven zero-for-zero model of fair, reciprocal trade between our two nations," Swonger said in a statement. "This action strengthens transatlantic ties, brings much-needed certainty to our industry and allows spirits producers on both sides of the Atlantic to grow, invest and support jobs at a critical time."
