Kamala Harris Campaign Courts Younger Voters With Warning of a ‘Trump Tequila Tax’

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she departs after speaking at a campaign rally at Ripon College, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Ripon, Wis. (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP Images)

Last week, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris launched a social media campaign suggesting that Gen Z’s favorite liquors will suffer under Trump’s universal tariff plan. An array of memes and short-form videos have collected around the grabby tagline “Trump Tequila Tax.”

The push kicked off with a TikTok from the Kamala HQ account featuring a young creator holding a cocktail, presumably a margarita. He intones toward the camera:

“Guys, the Trump Tequila Tax is insane. In case you haven’t heard, he wants to put an across-the-board 20% tax on all imported goods. That means he wants to tax your tequila, and your Coronas, your Modelos, you Hennessy — all of it.”

@kamalahqtrump tequila tax 🤢👎♬ original sound – Kamala HQ

The creator adds that Harris will support “mom-and-pop liquor stores and locally owned bars” with an increased tax deduction for small business startups. Toasting his drink toward the audience, the video concludes: “If you want to stop the Trump Tequila Tax, vote for Harris-Walz.” The clip has racked up over a million views across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

A separate video showing tequila shots and cocktails disappearing from restaurants “if Trump wins” has gained over 2 million views.

Though we doubt that tequila will vanish from liquor stores anytime soon, the general thrust of Trump’s tariff plan roughly adds up with the Harris campaign’s charge.

The former president has proposed a 10%-20% universal tariff on imported goods, claiming that the move could help create domestic factory jobs, shrink the federal deficit and lower food prices.

A handful of proposals have set their sights south of the border. During a speech last week in Savannah, Georgia, Trump remarked that, if elected, he’d place a 100% tariff on every car imported from Mexico. A few days earlier, he suggested a 200% tariff on Deere & Co. products if the agricultural company moved factories to Ramos Arizpe, three hours south of Texas.

Most goods imported from Canada and Mexico are currently exempt from tariffs under the terms of NAFTA.

Trump’s heftiest, most generalized proposals have instead been reserved for China. In addition to his 20% universal tariff, the former president has suggested a 60% tariff on all Chinese imports. If Harris is looking to expand her “Tequila Tax” campaign, Tsingtao — the 12th largest beer brand in the world — would probably be the best place to start.

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