The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has put the finishing touch on his stay in Ireland by taking advantage of his speech at the trophy presentation ceremony of the Irish Open golf to announce the end of the tariffs on Irish whiskey.
During his speech, Trump recounted how the decision came about. "I want to mention one thing. The taoiseach (prime minister) and I have talked about it and (golfer Shane) Lowry has talked to me about it and everyone was asking me for a favor. 'It is so unfair what is happening. Could you lift the tariffs on Irish whiskey?'", he explained to those present.
Immediately afterwards, he publicly announced his commitment. "And I have told them on behalf of the United States of America: I am going to lift the tariffs on Irish whiskey," he stated, provoking an enthusiastic reaction from the audience, who responded with cheers and prolonged applause.
The winner of the Irish Open, Shane Lowry, reacted humorously to the presidential announcement, suggesting that the distilleries should compensate him financially for Trump's gesture. "He announced the lifting of the tariffs on whiskey for me," he emphasized amidst laughter.
From the Irish government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defense, Helen McEntee, expressed her satisfaction with the removal of the levy and emphasized that "it is an important source of employment throughout Ireland," highlighting the positive economic impact for the sector.
Currently, Irish whiskey bears a tariff of 10%, a rate higher than that applied to Scotch or Northern Irish whiskey, which enter the U.S. market without any export tariff.