Trump criticised ‘terrible first minister' Sturgeon on flight back to US
During his stay, he had a two-hour dinner on Monday with current First Minister John Swinney, alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Swinney, who also met Mr Trump on Tuesday morning, said he had used the talks to push the president to exempt Scotch from US tariffs.
Speaking to reporters on his flight home, the president was asked if he offered to drop the levy on Scotland's national drink.
He replied: 'No. We really didn't discuss it much. But I have a lot of respect for him [Mr Swinney].'
Journalists began asking questions again before Mr Trump interjected: 'I didn't have a lot of respect for the woman that preceded him – I thought she was terrible as a first minister of Scotland.
'But I think John is doing a very good job of first minister.'
A source close to Ms Sturgeon responded: 'Trump's lack of respect for women is hardly news.
'That said, the feeling was entirely mutual.'
US President Donald Trump made the comments after a five-day visit to Scotland (Chris Furlong/PA)
Ms Sturgeon added on her Instagram account: 'Feeling was mutual, Donnie.
'Forever proud to represent all the things that offend your view of the world.'
Mr Trump criticised Ms Sturgeon, who became first minister in 2014, during her resignation in 2023.
He described her as a 'failed woke extremist' and a 'crazed leftist' who 'symbolises everything wrong with identity politics'.
When he was first elected as president in 2016, Ms Sturgeon described Mr Trump's behaviour and rhetoric as 'abhorrent'.
Mr Trump left Scotland on Tuesday after visiting his golf courses in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, and Menie in Aberdeenshire.
During his stay he struck a trade agreement, described by him as 'the biggest in history', with the EU, and held a meeting with Sir Keir to improve the UK-US trade deal.
As he opened his new golf course in Aberdeenshire, Donald Trump asked John Swinney to stand so he could thank him (Jane Barlow/PA)
Mr Swinney said following his talks with the US leader that Mr Trump had shown a 'willingness' to move on Scotch tariffs, which currently sit at 10%.
During Mr Trump's speech to open a new golf course at Menie on Tuesday morning, he asked the First Minister to stand to thank him.
He said: 'John Swinney is a terrific guy – and loves golf and 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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economist
5 minutes ago
- Economist
The trade deal with America shows the limits of the EU's power
'To be free, you need to be feared,' said Emmanuel Macron, the French president, on July 30th. 'We were not feared enough.' He was speaking three days after Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission's boss, had agreed a one-sided trade deal with President Donald Trump at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland. The agreement entails higher tariffs on European goods without any retaliation in kind. This humbling asymmetry was quickly condemned by the continent's politicians and press. But the European Union (EU) had good reasons for its faint-heartedness. It had to make enough concessions to keep Mr Trump engaged in Europe, while limiting the damage to its own economy. For now, it seems to have accomplished that.
Economist
5 minutes ago
- Economist
The US in brief: The Fed holds its nerve, and its rate
The Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate at 4.25-4.5%. Two rate-setters, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, voted against the decision—the first ' double dissent ' by members of the Fed's board in more than 30 years. The central bank's decision will anger Donald Trump, who has been calling for lower borrowing costs and publicly toying with the idea of ousting Jerome Powell, the Fed's chairman. The administration made a dizzying array of trade announcements in advance of its invented deadline, set for tomorrow, for countries to sign trade deals with America or face high(er) tariffs. It trumpeted deals with South Korea, Cambodia and Thailand. Mr Trump increased levies on many Brazilian goods from 10% to 50%, citing the ' extraordinary threat ' its government poses to America. He also threatened India with tariffs of 25% on its goods and an unspecified 'penalty' because it imports Russian oil and weapons. And certain copper products, including pipes and cables, will face tariffs of 50% from tomorrow. Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee used an arcane law to demand that the Justice Department release documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child molester. The 'rule of five' allows a group of five committee members to request information relevant to its remit from federal agencies. The provision, introduced in 1928, has seldom been used, so its effectiveness is unclear. The Senate voted 52-44 to confirm Joe Kent as head of the National Counterterrorism Centre. Mr Kent, a former Green Beret and CIA agent, has served as an aide to Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence. Democrats objected to his nomination because of his association with far-right figures and track record of promoting the 'Fedsurrection' conspiracy theory, which holds that the FBI initiated the storming of the Capitol on January 6th 2021. Republicans in Texas's legislature unveiled a proposal to redraw the boundaries of the state's electoral districts to help them win five extra seats in America's House of Representatives at the midterms in 2026. Republicans have a majority in both chambers of the Texas legislature, but Democrats have in the past fled the state, making the legislature inquorate, to block similar efforts. Texas's gambit has sparked talk about other states, both Republican- and Democrat-controlled, doing the same. Kamala Harris said she would not run to be California's governor in 2026. Despite her defeat in the presidential election in 2024, it had been widely presumed that the former vice-president would both bid to lead her home state and be the strong favourite. Her decision blows the Democratic primary wide open. Gavin Newsom, the current Democratic governor, cannot serve a third term. Fix up, look sharp Initially Mr Trump was keen to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees disaster relief. After a flood in Texas in early July killed more than 135 people, he softened. Now his administration talks of making FEMA more 'efficient'. Read our story on how America is remaking its disaster-relief system and trying to get rid of perverse incentives. A view from elsewhere 'Trump is extractive, not transactional as the lazy cliché goes,' wrote Prashant Jha in the Hindustan Times, an Indian newspaper. 'It is not about a give and take; it is predominantly about take, with a little bit of give.' He gets away with it because America 'is very powerful and the costs of a retributive Trump are very high'. And 'no one believes in the only other option, which is collective resistance.' Figure of the day Up to $500m, the amount that Harvard University is reportedly prepared to pay to get the Trump administration off its back. Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania have both already paid up, and yesterday the administration succeeded in shaking down Brown University. Read our story about what the president is teaching America's richest university. Today's poll Every week YouGov polls Americans on behalf of The Economist. Yesterday the administration said it would revoke the 'endangerment finding', a declaration by the EPA in 2009 that greenhouse gases are a risk to health. Yet a plurality (37%) of Americans want government restrictions on greenhouse-gas emissions expanded, and 21% want them kept the same. Only 24% wanted restrictions reduced or eliminated. Daily Quiz From Monday to Thursday we'll quiz you on all things American. To mark Mr Trump's visit to his Scottish golf courses, this week's questions are on previous presidents who have shared his passion for the links. Thursday: Which president was the first to install a putting green on the White House lawn? Wednesday: An ancestor of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush gives his name to one of golf's oldest international tournaments, held on the Old Course at St Andrews since 1922. What is it called? See how to take part in the quiz at the bottom of this page. If you enjoyed this week's questions, play Dateline, The Economist' s history game. Seen on Truth Social 'Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh' Canada!!!' —Donald Trump invents another reason to impose tariffs on America's trading partners.
Reuters
5 minutes ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Indian state refiners pause Russian oil purchases, sources say
NEW DELHI, July 30 (Reuters) - Indian state refiners have stopped buying Russian oil in the past week as discounts narrowed this month and U.S. President Donald Trump warned against purchasing oil from Moscow, industry sources said. India, the world's third-largest oil importer, is the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude. The country's state refiners - Indian Oil Corp ( opens new tab, Hindustan Petroleum Corp ( opens new tab, Bharat Petroleum Corp ( opens new tab and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd ( opens new tab - have not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, four sources familiar with the refiners' purchase plans told Reuters. IOC, BPCL, HPCL, MRPL and the federal oil ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The four refiners regularly buy Russian oil on a delivered basis and have turned to spot markets for replacement supply - mostly Middle Eastern grades such as Abu Dhabi's Murban crude and West African oil, sources said. Private refiners Reliance Industries ( opens new tab and Nayara Energy are the biggest Russian oil buyers in India, but state refiners control over 60% of India's overall 5.2 million barrels per day refining capacity. On July 14, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine.
