Trump wants Scotland to 'thrive' as he hits out at independence

The Herald Scotland

5 days ago

The US President was asked about his views on [[Scottish independence]] by The Herald.
Earlier today, the First Minister set out his plans for a second independence referendum, stating that if the SNP win a majority of seats at Holyrood next year this would give them the mandate to call for another referendum.
Asked about this by The Herald's Political Editor Andrew Learmonth, Mr Trump said he did not want to 'get involved' in British domestic politics, however, he said he 'predicted what was going to happen' in 2014.
'I like to be correct but I made a correct prediction," he told the paper.
The US president also referred to the suggestion that such a referendum could only take place once in a generation, adding: 'There was a little bit of a restriction, like 50 or 75 years, before you could take another vote because, you know, a country can't go through that too much.'
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Later today, Mr Trump will meet Scotland's First Minister John Swinney in Aberdeen.
Mr Trump said he did not know Mr Swinney, but said: 'I hear very good things about him, and I'm meeting him today, so maybe I'll have a better opinion.'
During his meeting with the President, Sir Keir Starmer insisted Scotland was better off within the UK.
The Prime Minister said: 'I think that at a time like this when it's quite clear that there's uncertainty and volatility around the world, the strength of the United Kingdom together is very important for all four nations, very important for Scotland, and that should be our priority.'
Mr Swinney 'should probably focus more' on delivery in Scotland than constitutional issues, Sir Keir added.
Asked if there was a better deal to be struck for Scotland during negotiations with Mr Starmer, the president said: "I have a great love for Scotland. My mother loved Scotland, she loved the Queen.
Pointing to the fact his mother, Mary Anne, was born there, he said she would return to her homeland 'once a year' for a visit.
He later added: 'So yeah, it gives me a feeling, you know it's different, you go to another country, you have no relationship to it… but it's different when your mother was born here.'
Pushed again on whether that could mean a different deal for products such as whisky, Mr Trump added: 'I was very particular, this is a part of the world I want to see thrive. It's going to thrive.'
Mr Trump also took aim at off shore wind projects in Scotland, naming them a "disaster" and an "ugly and expensive" form of energy.
He said: "Wind is a disaster. Wind is the most expensive form of energy and it destroys the beauty of your fields, your plains.
"When we go to Aberdeen, you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen, the height of a 50 storey building."
Mr Trump said the preferred route for energy would be oil and gas, as he said "nobody would ever see" the impact of it.