Trump credited King Charles with shifting his view on Scotch whisky tariffs
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.
In short
- 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.
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The case for
The account supports the view that King Charles’s state visit helped create a constructive opening for resolving the tariff dispute: Trump reportedly credited the King with shifting his view, and removing the tariff was expected to benefit Scotch whisky producers as well as Kentucky businesses supplying casks. Swinney’s call may also have helped by making the economic costs clear, so the decision could reflect useful diplomacy from both sides.
The case against
A note recording what Trump said on a brief call is not independent evidence that the King’s visit changed the policy, and the account does not establish what ultimately drove the decision. The timing, shortly before a Scottish election, gives reason to scrutinise claims about Swinney’s role too; credit may have been shared, overstated or shaped by political incentives rather than reflecting a clear account of causation.
Explained simply
Scotch whisky is a major Scottish export, and many distillers send bottles to the United States. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods; a 10 per cent US tariff on Scotch whisky would have made it more expensive for American buyers and added costs for the industry.
The key figures are US President Donald Trump, Scottish First Minister John Swinney and King Charles, whose US state visit took place shortly before the call described by Swinney. The issue matters to distillers and related businesses, including those in Kentucky that make casks used to mature whisky, as well as to debate about how political relationships can affect trade decisions.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Donald Trump told John Swinney that King Charles helped change his mind on scrapping whisky tariffs, First Minister’s OWN notes reveal”.