Trump lifts tariffs on Scotch whisky in nod to King Charles

Trump said he was lifting the tariffs on whiskey from the UK in honor of the British King and Queen, announcing the move the day the royal duo departed from the US.

Trump lifts tariffs on Scotch whisky in nod to King Charles

Trump said he was lifting the tariffs on whiskey from the UK in honor of the British King and Queen, announcing the move the day the royal duo departed from the US.

King Charles III and President Donald Trump make a toast at the State Dinner for the King and Queen Camilla, at the White House in Washington
Trump hailed Charles as the “greatest king” as he waved him and Camilla off at the White HouseImage: Aaron Chown/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance
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US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was lifting tariffs on whisky from the United Kingdom, in a gesture to King Charles III and Queen Camilla after their royal state visit.

The royal duo left the US on Thursday after a four-day state visit meant to celebrate the former British colony’s 250th anniversary of independence. The trip was aimed at repairing relations between the US and UK, strained over European allies declining to join the US-Israel war against Iran.

Note: whisky, the so-called water of life, is the preferred spelling for the drink in Scotland, also known as Scotch. Whiskey with an “e” is used for the drink when it’s made in Ireland and is the preferred term for US whiskey.

What did Trump say about ending the whisky tariff?
“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

‘Americans have had no closer friends than the British’ Live TV
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Trump lifts tariffs on Scotch whisky in nod to King Charles
Mahima Kapoor with AP, AFP, Reuters and DPA
7 hours ago7 hours ago
Trump said he was lifting the tariffs on whiskey from the UK in honor of the British King and Queen, announcing the move the day the royal duo departed from the US.

https://p.dw.com/p/5D7AV
King Charles III and President Donald Trump make a toast at the State Dinner for the King and Queen Camilla, at the White House in Washington
Trump hailed Charles as the “greatest king” as he waved him and Camilla off at the White HouseImage: Aaron Chown/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance
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US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was lifting tariffs on whisky from the United Kingdom, in a gesture to King Charles III and Queen Camilla after their royal state visit.

The royal duo left the US on Thursday after a four-day state visit meant to celebrate the former British colony’s 250th anniversary of independence. The trip was aimed at repairing relations between the US and UK, strained over European allies declining to join the US-Israel war against Iran.

Note: whisky, the so-called water of life, is the preferred spelling for the drink in Scotland, also known as Scotch. Whiskey with an “e” is used for the drink when it’s made in Ireland and is the preferred term for US whiskey.

What did Trump say about ending the whisky tariff?
“The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

‘Americans have had no closer friends than the British’

01:00
He spoke of the Scotch industry’s relationship with bourbon makers in the US. Most Scotch producers source their casks from the US to age their whiskey in.

“People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great inter-country trade, especially having to do with the wooden barrels used,” he said, adding that the tariff removal was in “honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House.”

The governments of Scotland and the UK had been lobbying the Trump administration to end tariffs on the industry for their biggest market.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later said in a statement that the US would give “preferential duty access for whiskey produced in the United Kingdom.” The administration did not immediately respond to questions about whether that meant eliminating the tariffs or lowering them.

In 2025, the Trump administration reached a trade framework that put a 10% tax on most goods imported from Britain. Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom