Irish Open crowd goes wild with USA chants after Trump drops surprise whiskey tariff move

DUBLIN, IRELAND: President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement involving US tariffs on Irish whiskey during the Irish Open in Doonbeg, Ireland, on Sunday, September 13.

Speaking at the tournament’s trophy ceremony at Trump International Golf Club, Trump addressed the trade measure in front of the home crowd after watching Irish golfer Shane Lowry claim the title.

What followed turned the otherwise routine tariff announcement into one of the most striking moments of his Ireland visit.

Trump's whiskey announcement sparks roar

Trump said he had been repeatedly asked to remove the tariff, calling the duty unfair before announcing that Irish whiskey would no longer face it in the US.

“Everybody's been bugging me, saying, would you do me a favor? It's so unfair what's going on. Could you possibly take the tariffs off of Irish whiskey?” Trump said.

He did not leave the answer hanging for long.

“And I said, on behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off of Irish whiskey,” Trump announced.

That was enough to set off the crowd.

Spectators broke into loud cheers and began chanting “USA! USA!” as the announcement landed.

The reaction was so loud that footage from the ceremony showed Trump being briefly drowned out by the cheering.

Trump was later asked about his announcement before departing Dublin.

He confirmed the move, saying, “It was very unfair because others had the relief and they didn't, so I thought I'd do it.”

Trump added, “Actually, Shane Lowry asked me about it, too. A lot of people asked me."

The whiskey announcement came after Shane Lowry had already given the home crowd something to celebrate, putting together a dominant performance to win the Irish Open.

Lowry finished 23 under par and won by 11 shots, securing his second Irish Open title.

His margin of victory left little drama for the final round, but Trump’s tariff announcement provided a rather different talking point after the golf was over.

Trump had stayed on to watch the final round and later presented Lowry with the trophy.

Irish whiskey tariff had faced pressure

Irish whiskey, which currently faces a 10% tariff, had its makers waiting for Washington to reconsider the duties hitting their exports.

The Irish Whiskey Association had called for relief, arguing that the tariff was creating uncertainty for American businesses and consumers dealing with Irish products.

The move also builds on Trump’s earlier decision involving British whiskey.

In April, he announced tariff relief for UK whiskey, a change that later took effect for Scotch and spirits produced in Northern Ireland.

Trump’s announcement in Doonbeg would extend that relief to Irish whiskey, although the president did not spell out when the new policy would formally begin.