Donald Trump showed 'willingness' to move on whisky tariffs, says Swinney

Donald Trump showed a “willingness” to look again at the issue of tariffs for Scotch whisky, John Swinney has said.

The First Minister said the US president listened to his argument that whisky should be exempt from the 10 per cent tariff applied on UK exports into the US due to its unique status.

Mr Swinney said the President invited him to follow up on the issue and he has since taken it forward with the US ambassador.

First Minister John Swinney attending the opening ceremony for a new course at Trump International in Aberdeenshire | PA

Mr Trump left Scotland on Tuesday evening after a five-day visit, with Air Force One taking off from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray.

The president concluded his trip by opening a new golf course at his resort in Menie, Aberdeenshire, on Tuesday morning. After playing on the new course, he flew by helicopter to the RAF base.

Mr Swinney joined Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and others for a private dinner with the President at Trump International in Aberdeenshire on Monday evening, where it is understood tariffs were discussed.

The First Minister also met Mr Trump for around 15 minutes on Tuesday morning ahead of the opening of his new golf course.

The President later lavished praise on Mr Swinney at the opening ceremony. "I also want to thank your First Minister, who's here," he told the audience of assembled dignitaries.

"John, will you stand up? John Swinney, who's a terrific guy and he loves golf and he loves the people of this country, and we really appreciate it. You're really a very special guy. Thank you very much for everything, John."

The US is Scotland’s largest export market by value for whisky, worth £971 million in 2024. However, tariffs are costing the industry around £4 million a week.

“I think there’s a willingness for President Trump to look at the issues that I’ve set out to him,” Mr Swinney said.

“I don’t think that was the position a few days ago, because I think President Trump was of the view that the trade deal was done and dusted and that was an end of the matter.”

The First Minister said whisky was unique because it “can only be produced here”, adding: “It can’t be manufactured and produced anywhere else, because it can’t then be Scotch whisky.

“So I’ve set that out and President Trump has listened to the arguments I’ve put forward. I’ve also injected into that discussion an interesting point that was put to me when I was in New York in April by the Kentucky bourbon industry, who have quite a lot of shared interests with the Scotch whisky industry and also some common ground.

“They have shared interests and the sense that tariffs can be an obstacle, but they also have a £300 million whisky cask trade with Scotland, which matters.

“So I was trying to encourage the President to look at the possibility of an exception for Scotch whisky and he concluded our discussions this morning by saying to me that I should follow up the issues that we had discussed, and I’ve taken that forward already with the US ambassador to the United Kingdom and my team will be following this up in due course.”

The President was asked about whisky tariffs by journalists at his Ayrshire golf course on Monday, where he appeared not to know there was an issue.

“We’ll talk about that, I didn’t know whisky was a problem,” Mr Trump said. “I’m not a big whisky drinker but maybe I should be.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the Prime Minister agreed with the call to exempt Scotch whisky.

“The great thing is, here, this is not a matter of putting pressure on the Prime Minister, because the Prime Minister already agrees and the Prime Minister recognises that we want to go even further on the deal we’ve already negotiated,” he said.

“It’s a good deal for Scotland and the UK, but we want to go even further – and that’s the conversations that continue.”

But Mr Swinney said the UK Government had not done enough to prioritise the whisky industry.

“I was a bit surprised that there hadn’t been a more strenuous effort to exempt the Scotch whisky industry because of its distinctive nature, and the opportunity I was setting out around the bourbon industry is not a new thing,” he said.

“It was raised with me when I was in New York in April. I think there could have been more done to ensure Scotch whisky was put in a better position. But I’ve now had the opportunity to raise that with the President and can take that forward.”

Mr Trump also called the North Sea a “treasure chest” as he attacked the UK’s tax regime for oil and gas companies, ahead of the golf course opening ceremony on Tuesday.

On his Truth Social website, the president said “a vast fortune” could be made for the UK in the North Sea, adding: “Incentivise the drillers, fast.”

The oil and gas industry has been sharply critical of the energy profits levy - also known as the windfall tax - which was introduced in May 2022 and then extended and increased.

Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), the North Sea trade body, has called on Sir Keir to remove the tax by 2026.

“North Sea Oil is a TREASURE CHEST for the United Kingdom,” Mr Trump wrote. “The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense.

“They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, ‘we don’t want you.’ Incentivize the drillers, FAST. A VAST FORTUNE TO BE MADE for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people!”

Mr Swinney said the US President made his views clear during their dinner on Monday.

Asked if Mr Trump pressed him to back new oil and gas licenses during the two-hour event, the First Minister said: “He didn’t. He didn’t press me to do that.

“He obviously expressed his view that there should be more oil and gas activity undertaken and I’ve seen material from the President this morning which raises issues about taxation, which of course, is not under my control. I don’t have any influence over North Sea oil and gas taxation.

“Obviously the President made clear his view that he is not a supporter of wind turbines and I expressed the view that we have about our energy priorities on renewable energy.”

During his trip to Scotland – his first since 2023 and first since winning re-election – Mr Trump repeatedly referred to Aberdeen as “the oil capital of Europe”.

He has been outspoken in his dislike of “windmills”, having taken the Scottish Government to court over an offshore wind farm near his Aberdeenshire estate.