Donald Trump deflects calls to look again at tariff on Scotch whisky

Telegraph

4 days ago

Donald Trump has deflected calls to look again at a 10 per cent tariff he has imposed on whisky exports to the US despite emphasising his love for Scotland.
Speaking before talks with Sir Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, he said they planned to discuss Scotch whisky tariffs and he wanted to make the Prime Minister 'happy.'
But, in a joint press conference afterwards, he said 'a lot' of the benefits of the trade deal he has reached with the UK 'comes to Scotland' and he wanted the country to 'thrive'.
He gave no commitment to revisiting the tariff despite emphasising his and his mother Mary's love of Scotland. She was born and brought up on the Hebridean island of Lewis but emigrated to New York.
The US has long been Scotch whisky 's biggest market by value, with £971m of sales last year. It is estimated the tariff is costing the industry, which is the UK's most valuable food and drink export, about £4m a week.
Mr Trump hit Scotch whisky with a 25 per cent tariff in 2019, during his first term, a move that cost the industry £600m. The charges were repealed 18 months later.
Although the 10 per cent tariff on most UK goods is the lowest rate of any US trading partner, the Scotch Whisky Association has said it was 'disappointed' by the move.
Asked about the charge, Mr Trump said: 'Well we'll talk about that. I didn't know whisky was a problem. I'm not a big whisky drinker. But maybe I should be one.'
He added: 'Well, we're going to take a look at it.' Although a bagpiper made it difficult to hear some of his remarks, the president said: 'We want to make the Prime Minister happy.'
Asked about the tariff after the talks, Mr Trump said: 'I have great love for Scotland. My mother loved Scotland, and she loved the Queen [Elizabeth II].'
He said he travels abroad and meets heads of state, 'but it's different when your mother was born here'.
Pressed again if there was a better deal to be done for whisky trade given his love of Scotland, Mr Trump said: 'I assume when we do our trade deal overall, a lot of it comes to Scotland. I hope maybe all of it should go to Scotland!
'A lot of it comes to Scotland and I was very particular about this. This is a part of the world I want to see thrive. It's going to thrive.'
Sir Keir said: 'We have already achieved great things on the deal, and we'll achieve even more as we work together.'
Mr Trump and Sir Keir were scheduled to fly to the president's golf resort in Aberdeenshire, where John Swinney, the First Minister, was expected to join them for a private ceremonial dinner.
Mr Swinney said he also planned to argue for the abolition of the whisky tariff during discussions with the president, which are scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: 'Tariffs are very important for the Scottish economy and obviously scotch whisky is a unique product.
'It can only be produced in Scotland. It's not a product that can be produced in any other part of the world. So there's a uniqueness about that, which I think means there is a case for it to be taken out of the tariffs arrangement that is now in place.'