Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the duties were in response to "illegal fentanyl" both countries "allowed to distribute" into the US.

In 2023, the U.S. imported $4.6 billion worth of tequila and $108 million worth of mezcal from Mexico, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade group. The U.S. imported $537 million worth of Canadian spirits, including $202.5 million worth of whisky.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada “won’t back down” from President Trump’s threat to impose a 25 percent tariff and that Ottawa will respond accordingly until they are removed.