DUBLIN — President Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to eliminate tariffs on Irish whiskey, drawing loud applause from fans gathered at his golf course in County Clare.

The president’s pledge to cut the 10% tariff was the latest example of Trump’s whipsaw approach to global trade, and how he often adjusts his tariff policy based on personal interactions with foreign leaders or business interests.

“Everybody’s been bugging me,” Trump told those gathered at the Irish Open golf tournament. “They are 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,’ and I said, ‘On behalf of the United States of America, I am going to take the tariffs off Irish whiskey.’”

Simon Harris, the deputy prime minister of Ireland, called Trump’s promise a “welcome announcement of economic significance from President Trump this evening that reflects the very positive engagement we’ve had with the U.S. administration on tariffs over the 18 months.”

Trump has frequently used tariff policy to influence other countries. He has repeatedly threatened and rescinded tariffs, sending officials from other countries scrambling. For much of his presidency, he has argued that other countries are taking advantage of the United States by selling cheap goods. But he sometimes backs off, as he did last year, lifting tariffs on foreign products, including beef, tomatoes, bananas and coffee.

The announcement echoed a similar move this spring, when Trump announced he was rolling back tariffs on Scotch whisky after hosting King Charles III for a state dinner in Washington.

Almost immediately after arriving in Dublin, Trump appeared intent on making announcements that would appease — or disrupt — his new audience in Ireland. On Saturday, Trump broke with decades of U.S. neutrality when he said it would be “fantastic” if Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland unified.

On Sunday, Trump doubled down on his endorsement of reunification.

“I’ve always loved the people of Ireland, and it just seems to me that you have Northern Ireland and you have Ireland, and it would seem to me that one of the naturals of all time is, put them together,” Trump said. “That’s only my opinion. And by the way, many people agree.”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Luke Broadwater and Zolan Kanno-Youngs/Alex Kent
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