# Trump credited King Charles with shifting his view on Scotch whisky tariffs

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/donald-trump-told-john-swinney-that-king-charles-helped-change-his-mind-on-scrapping-whisky-tariffs-first-ministers-own-notes-reveal/
- Published: 2026-10-26T19:33:17+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T19:47:47+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16240513/Donald-Trump-told-John-Swinney-King-Charles-helped-change-mind-scrapping-whisky-tariffs-Ministers-notes-reveal.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Trump praised the King’s role in lifting Scotch whisky tariffs.
- Swinney’s note records an eight-minute call on 1 May.
- The 10 per cent tariff was estimated to cost £4 million weekly.

## Summary

A note John Swinney wrote about a phone call with Donald Trump says the US President credited King Charles with helping change his mind about removing tariffs on Scotch whisky. The account adds detail to debate over how much influence Swinney had in securing the decision, which was announced shortly before a Scottish election.

Swinney said the eight-minute call took place on 1 May, days after the King’s US state visit and days before the Holyrood election. The 10 per cent US tariff had been estimated to cost the Scotch whisky industry £4 million a week; the note says Trump hoped its removal would support whisky and Kentucky cask businesses.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.