The U.S. tariff comes after the European Union moved to put an import tax on American whiskey.
Summary
Donald Trump announced a planned 200% tariff on French and EU alcoholic beverages in response to the European Union’s decision to reinstate tariffs on American whiskey.
Trump accused the EU of unfair trade practices and demanded an immediate reversal of its 50% whiskey tariff.
The EU’s move is part of broader retaliation against U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs.
The dispute has rattled liquor stocks, with major European brands like LVMH and Remy Cointreau dropping, while U.S. alcohol stocks, including Jack Daniels' parent Brown-Forman, also declined.
That’s the annoying part of this. Prices never creep down the same way they creep up. So things will always be more expensive. The only way it ever corrects is very violently in a massive depression and even that never fully corrects it.
And there is zero resistance from the entirety of the rest of the US, there is no one there able to see how these are acts of self destruction on a very large scale and the reputational damage is becoming irreversible.
Took his sweet time to realize he could put +100% tariffs.
It's fine tho, we'll sell our high quality liquors to other markets. See? The problem with putting tariffs to the whole world is that the whole world answers in kind. But only against you, wno started the tariffs. We can sell our liquors to Asia, to Canada or to Australia just fine. But your whiskey is right now nuclear waste; nobody wants it.
I wish more people would understand this perspective. Americans might be picking a fight with the whole world, but the rest of the world only has to worry about 1 country picking a fight with them.
Next, Trump signs an executive decree that says they can now make champagne in the US because the US had been treated very unfairly by France by not allowing champagne to be made elsewhere and now that the USA can do it, everyone is going to become very rich.
I mean technically anyone can call it champagne. I believe the only law is in France itself or possibly the EU. But I’d be curious how enforceable it is outside of gentlemen’s agreements.
France has a worldwide trademark on the name Champagne since 1891, and it is one of the many named protected EU wide by the "protected designation of origin" registry.
But you can find "legal" US Champagne, because "California Champagne" was a separate trademark - any US manufacturer that made it before 2005 can continue using it.
Though it would be kinda hilarious if the Trump decided to start disrespecting global trademarks like that, as that's something that works both ways. Care for some French or Canadian made Tennessee Whisky, anyone?