Highlights
- Trump announces tariff removal honouring King Charles and Queen Camilla.
- Scotch whisky faced 10 per cent tariff with potential rise to 25 per cent later this year.
- US remains largest market for Scottish whisky at $1.2 billion annually.
After bidding the British royals goodbye at the White House, Trump posted that he was making the gesture "in Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom."
He said on his Truth Social network: "The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!"
Trade concerns addressed
Scotch whisky from the UK has faced a 10 per cent tariff during Trump's second presidency.
The rate was set to jump later this year when the suspension of an earlier 25 per cent tariff expires as part of a previous trade truce.
In his post, Trump said he was "removing the tariffs and restrictions" on whisky but added that it related to Scotland's trade with the bourbon-making state of Kentucky, particularly on wooden barrels.
However, US trade representative Jamieson Greer later confirmed the announcement applied to the alcoholic drink itself.
"The United States will allow preferential duty access for whiskey produced in the United Kingdom," Greer said in a statement.
He added the move was part of a broader trade deal announced by the United States and Britain in an Oval Office appearance by Trump last year.
Britain has been trying to secure whisky tariff exemptions almost from the moment Trump returned to power last year.
During his first term, Trump's 2019 tariffs against the European Union, which then included Britain, also targeted the UK's whisky industry.
The United States remains the primary export market for Scotch whisky, accounting for $1.2 billion per year.
The royal charm offensive by King Charles appeared to have paid off, with Trump hailing Charles as the "greatest king" as he waved him and Camilla off at the White House.
The visit was officially meant to celebrate transatlantic ties as the United States marks its 250th anniversary of independence from Britain, though much of Charles's time was spent smoothing over tensions regarding Iran.
Trump has criticised British prime minister Keir Starmer over his opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
AFP
