Trump to Lift 10% Tariff on Irish Whiskey After Repeated Requests

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States would lift a 10 percent tariff on Irish whiskey, ending a policy that had created uneven treatment for spirits from the Republic of Ireland compared with those from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The decision came during the trophy ceremony for the Irish Open at Trump’s Doonbeg golf resort, where the president said repeated requests from Irish officials and golfers had prompted the change.

The tariff had been part of a broader set of duties the Trump administration imposed on European Union goods. It had already been reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent in July. In April the administration removed similar tariffs on U.K. whiskey, including Scotch and spirits produced in Northern Ireland, leaving Irish producers at a competitive disadvantage in the American market. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and Irish Open champion Shane Lowry were among those who raised the issue with Trump in recent weeks.

Trump described the move as a response to persistent lobbying rather than a formal policy review. “Everybody’s been bugging me,” he said at the event. The announcement drew whistles and cheers from spectators. No timeline was provided for when the tariff would actually be removed, and the White House has not yet issued formal guidance on implementation.

The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States welcomed the decision, noting that Irish whiskey exports to the United States had grown rapidly before the tariffs took effect. Industry data show Ireland shipped roughly $300 million worth of whiskey to the U.S. in the year before the duties were introduced, with growth concentrated among premium single-malt and blended products. American importers had warned that the tariff would slow that expansion and raise prices for consumers.

The episode illustrates how the administration’s tariff policy has been shaped by a mix of broad trade objectives and case-by-case adjustments. The original duties on EU goods were justified as leverage in disputes over digital services taxes and aircraft subsidies. Yet the selective removal for U.K. products in April and now for Irish whiskey suggests that diplomatic pressure and commercial lobbying can produce narrower carve-outs. For Ireland, which maintains close economic ties with the United States, the change restores parity with Northern Ireland producers and removes a source of friction in bilateral relations.

It remains unclear whether the administration plans similar adjustments for other EU spirits or food products still facing the 10 percent duty. European trade officials have continued to press for a broader rollback, arguing that the tariffs raise costs for American businesses that rely on European ingredients and finished goods. The whiskey decision may ease one narrow point of tension, but it leaves the larger structure of EU tariffs in place.