Trump backs Irish unification, announces scrapping of 10% Irish whiskey tariff
GeopoliticsMacro
US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his stance in favour of unifying Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, while playing down opposition to a referendum from British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, saying that bringing the two territories together seems like something that could happen naturally. The remarks came during a two-day visit to Ireland and mark a departure from the White House tradition of neutrality on Northern Ireland's constitutional status. The British government insists that Burnham still believes there is not enough support to bring about a referendum under the framework of the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement. Irish nationalists welcomed Trump's comments, while the Conservative Party and unionist groups in Northern Ireland criticised them. Trump also announced at the end of his Ireland visit that the United States will scrap the import tariff on Irish whiskey, currently levied at 10% under the White House's tariff measures on goods imported from the European Union. The tariff has put whiskey from the Republic of Ireland at a disadvantage to Scotch whisky and whiskey from Northern Ireland, which are not subject to the same levy. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the reaction to Trump's comments on Irish unification had been excessive and called on all sides to view the matter calmly.
