The President of the United States, Donald Trump, threatened to impose heavy tariffs of 200% on alcoholic beverages from the European Union in response to the 50% tariffs imposed by the EU on U.S. spirits as a response to the 25% tariffs that Trump had applied to steel and aluminum imports.
In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump warned that if the EU did not immediately withdraw its tariff, the United States would impose this tariff on wine, champagne, and other alcoholic products imported from EU countries, highlighting that this move would be beneficial for the U.S. wine industry.
After Trump implemented his tariffs on steel and aluminum, the EU replied with measures that included tariffs on U.S. products worth 26 billion euros (28 billion dollars), which would take effect in April.
These tariffs affected a wide range of products, including boats, bourbon, and motorcycles. In response to this measure, Trump promised to impose reciprocal tariffs on EU products, emphasizing that if they charged the United States, it would be charged mutually.
Trump has used these trade measures as a means to modify international trade relations, rightly defending the idea that the United States has been exploited by other nations, especially by the EU.
In his comments, he referred to the EU as "hostile" and "abusive" and stated that it was formed to take advantage of the United States. In particular, he criticized the EU tariff on American bourbon, calling it "nasty."
This conflict is part of a broader pattern in which the U.S. liquor industry, especially the production of bourbon and whiskey, has become a frequent target of trade retaliation.
The unfair EU tariffs on American spirits were seen as a hard blow to an industry that had managed to make progress in rebuilding its exports to EU countries.
Chris Swonger, president of the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S., expressed his disappointment with the European tariffs and stated that this would undermine efforts to improve U.S. spirits exports in Europe.
The CEO of Brown-Forman, Lawson Whiting, which produces the famous whiskey brand Jack Daniel's, also criticized these tariffs imposed by the EU, although he commented that the most painful for the company was the decision of some retailers in Canada and Europe to remove American alcoholic beverages from their shelves.
