Scotland's first minister meets Trump in Oval Office as whisky tariff talks enter 'critical days'

Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, met President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday as negotiations to reduce US tariffs on Scotch whisky entered what he called "critical days." Swinney said he made the case for cutting the 10% import tax on most UK spirits during a meeting that lasted about 50 minutes and overran its scheduled time by roughly 20 minutes.

In a short video posted from Washington, D.C., Swinney said: "I’ve now taken those arguments to the Oval Office, to President Trump, and we’ve had a constructive discussion about the reasons why Scotch whisky would benefit from no tariffs." He confirmed he would attend the State Banquet at Windsor Palace during the US state visit to Britain next week and said he raised wider international issues, including the conflict in Gaza and Qatar, during discussions in Washington.

Swinney was accompanied by Lord Mandelson, the United Kingdom's ambassador to the United States, after staying at the ambassador's official residence earlier in his visit. The White House said Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Trump for the meeting. Swinney also held talks with Democratic and Republican lawmakers and US distillers at Mount Vernon, site of a historic whiskey still linked to early Scottish workers.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) is pressing for a "zero-for-zero" deal — reciprocal tariff reductions on spirits — as part of ongoing UK‑US trade discussions. The 10% tariff on most UK exports to the United States is estimated to cost the Scotch industry about £4 million a week. Scotch exports to the United States were worth nearly £1 billion in 2024, and industry groups say the sector employs more than 20,000 people in Scotland.

The SWA has argued that lower US tariffs would also benefit American producers, citing close commercial ties: Scottish distillers buy hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of bourbon casks from the United States each year. SWA chief executive Mark Kent said a zero‑for‑zero arrangement would be a "big win" for communities in Scotland and for the closely linked US and Scottish industries.

Swinney said the negotiations are the responsibility of the UK negotiating team but that he was determined to "protect and safeguard this iconic Scottish product." He told reporters he was seeking a lower import tax rather than a full exemption, reflecting private expectations that a reduced tariff is more likely than an absolute waiver under a US administration that has made tariffs central to its economic policy.

The meeting comes ahead of President Trump's second state visit to Britain. The two men previously met in July at Trump's Aberdeenshire golf resort.

The White House meeting was paired politically with scrutiny of Lord Mandelson after files from the estate of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein were released by US lawmakers. The documents included a 10‑page letter from a 2003 "birthday book" in which Mandelson described Epstein as his "best pal." The letter predates public allegations and criminal charges against Epstein; he died in a US jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. Officials said the meeting proceeded despite questions raised by the document release.

Trade measures on Scotch have a recent history in Washington. During Trump's first term as president, a 25% tariff on single‑malt Scotch and other duties imposed amid a wider dispute with the European Union contributed to an estimated £600 million reduction in exports over an 18‑month period. Industry officials and UK ministers say renewed negotiations present an opportunity to reverse those harms ahead of deeper trade talks between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Swinney's visit included meetings with business representatives and US distillers, and a photograph posted by the first minister showed him alongside Scottish and US industry figures. A government source described the Oval Office discussion as "pretty substantive" and said there had been progress, though the outcome will depend on formal negotiations led by the UK government.

With the state visit days away, Scottish officials said they hoped the talks would yield a better tariff outcome for the industry. Any change in US tariff policy would need to align with broader UK‑US trade arrangements and domestic US trade policy priorities.