Trump's Tariff Wars Forge Rare Bipartisan Alliance In Kentucky As Bourbon Makers Fear Escalation

President Donald Trump's blunt-force use of tariffs has forged a rare bipartisan alliance among Kentucky's top leaders - Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul - in lamenting brewing trade wars that could stagger the bourbon sector.

Bourbon distillers who invested time and money cultivating markets in Europe and Canada are now worried about becoming "collateral damage" in escalating tit-for-tat disputes. Trump's saber-rattling intensified this week when he threatened a 200 tariff on European wine, Champagne and other spirits if the European Union goes forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.

In solidly Republican Kentucky, where Trump has dominated since his first White House election in 2016, the governor and senators have been in lockstep in their disapproval of the near daily drama regarding tariffs. Beshear, who is seen as a potential presidential contender in 2028, has been especially critical.

"President Trump started this trade war, and we all knew that if he did, other countries would have to respond," Beshear said recently. "What they're going to do is raise prices on the American people. A president who was elected to lower prices is actively taking steps that are raising prices."

McConnell, the former longtime Republican Senate leader, said millions of American jobs - including thousands tied to bourbon production and auto manufacturing in Kentucky - depend on policies that preserve free and fair trade.