Brewery Releases 4 Years' Worth of 'Maekju Box'... "Drink It All, and Trump's Term Ends" [Beer and Politics]

① Protest Against Trump's 'Tariff War'
The Heavy Burden on Canada's New Prime Minister

Editor's NoteWhat if the most popular alcoholic beverage, beer, carried a political message? In Western countries, new beers with political messages are often released whenever there are significant shifts in the political landscape. This article explores the background behind the release of these 'special edition' beers with political messages and the related changes in the international situation.

An image of 'The Presidential Pack,' a beer box product released by Canadian brewery Moosehead Breweries. Moosehead Breweries official website

A Canadian alcohol company has released a so-called 'Presidential Pack' containing four years' worth of beer cans in one box. The idea is that if you finish the Presidential Pack, Donald Trump's term as U.S. president will be over. Amid growing resistance in Canada to the tariff war initiated by President Trump, the atmosphere is clearly reflected even in the country's most popular drink, beer.

'Presidential Pack' with 1,461 beer cans released... "Drink one can a day and Trump's term will be over"

Moosehead Breweries homepage

Moosehead Breweries, a Canadian brewery, launched a new beer product called the Presidential Pack on the 9th (local time). The product contains a total of 1,461 cans of lager beer, each with a volume of 473ml, all packed in one box. The price is 3,490 Canadian dollars (about 3.53 million KRW). Online orders flooded in immediately after the launch, and the initial stock sold out quickly.

Moosehead promoted the new product by saying, "If you drink one can of beer every day, President Trump's term will be over," adding, "To endure the political uncertainty over the next four years, you have no choice but to have beer with you, and we believe the Presidential Pack will help." President Trump's term lasts until January 2029.

CNN analyzed that this new beer product reflects Canadians' resentment toward the Trump administration. Andrew Allardyce, CEO of Moosehead, also said in an interview with Canadian media, "It is really disappointing that President Trump is threatening Canada with tariffs," and "It is sad to see the traditional bilateral relationship heading in a direction so different from before."

Tightening the reins on the tariff war: tariffs even on Canadian beer caps

Reuters·Yonhap News

Canadian alcohol companies like Moosehead are already suffering from the tariff war between the two countries. According to CNN, Canadian beer companies do not produce aluminum caps themselves but import them from the U.S., which means they inevitably have to pay import tariffs on aluminum caps for beer production. Additionally, when exporting beer to the U.S., tariffs are applied again on the beer products, causing a double burden.

Despite growing anti-American sentiment in Canada, President Trump has firmly stated that tariffs on Canadian imports will be fully expanded starting April 2. Earlier, the Trump administration announced that a 25% tariff would be imposed on Canadian imports starting the 4th, but later decided to postpone the 25% tariff on items covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), including automobiles, until May 2.

President Trump has also threatened to impose massive additional tariffs on lumber and dairy products. At a press conference on the 7th, he said, "Canada has long exploited us, especially continuing unfair trade practices in lumber and dairy," and emphasized, "We will impose retaliatory tariffs equivalent to the maximum 250% tariffs Canada imposed on U.S. dairy products."

Mark Carney, the new Canadian Prime Minister and economic expert: "We will not let Trump get away with it"

On the 9th (local time), Mark Carney, the newly elected Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party, is giving his acceptance speech immediately after being elected. Photo by AP and Yonhap News

In response to the Trump administration's tariff war, Canada has elected a new 'economic expert' prime minister, signaling a counterattack. On the 9th, Mark Carney, the new Canadian Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader, stated, "We cannot and will not let Trump succeed," adding, "We will maintain tariffs until the U.S. respects Canada and commits to free and fair trade."

Known as a leading economic expert politician in Canada, Carney previously worked at the major investment bank Goldman Sachs, served as Governor of the Bank of Canada, and Governor of the Bank of England (BOE). Notably, when he became Governor of the Bank of Canada in 2007 during the global financial crisis, he received positive evaluations for quickly stimulating the Canadian economy through bold interest rate cuts and other policies.

Despite having no prior experience as an elected member of parliament, Carney was elected Prime Minister, emphasizing his image as an economic expert. During the election campaign, he promoted himself as "a crisis management veteran who can most effectively handle Trump's hostile attitude." Given that he was elected riding on anti-Trump sentiment in Canada, it is highly likely that he will take stronger measures in the ongoing tariff war with the U.S. in the future.