John Swinney Snubs Trump Officials: No Meetings Planned During New York Visit

The First Minister will travel to New York to participate in the city’s annual Tartan Day festivities.

John Swinney has confirmed he does not intend to engage with any members of the Trump administration or the Trump family during his upcoming trip to New York this weekend.

The First Minister is set to depart for the United States later today to join in the Tartan Day celebrations, a yearly event.

This visit had been scheduled prior to President Donald Trump’s recent announcement imposing a broad range of tariffs on goods imported into the United States, which roiled global markets last night.

These tariffs, which include a 10 percent levy on all goods exported from the UK to the US, are anticipated to cause multimillion-dollar losses for the Scotch whisky industry.

Swinney mentioned to the press today that he is aware that issues related to international affairs fall under the jurisdiction of the UK Government.

While addressing the media at the Scottish Parliament, he stated, “My visit aims to promote Scotland, engage with our expatriate community, and support trade and business initiatives in the US.

“We haven’t planned any meetings with the US Government. However, I’ve previously had discussions with President Trump, and we are continuing our conversations on the tariff issues through the proper channels of the UK Government, who are responsible for international trade.”

Swinney also criticized Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar after it was disclosed that he had a meeting with Eric Trump three weeks ago.

The First Minister added, “I have no plans to meet with any members of the Trump family. Unlike the Labour leader, I’ve been transparent about my interactions with the Trump family. It was only revealed three weeks later that Mr. Sarwar met with Eric Trump on the same day I did in Edinburgh.”

“This doesn’t reveal anything except the secretive nature of the Labour party’s operations,” he added.

When asked if he should be arranging meetings with US officials in Washington rather than traveling to New York, Swinney responded, “International trade is a reserved matter. I need to make prudent decisions on how we use our resources and engage in negotiations on international trade issues, where Scotland is not directly involved.

“These negotiations must be conducted by the UK Government. I respect the constitutional arrangements and will continue to promote and collaborate with industry, acknowledging that the UK is the primary negotiator.”