FIRST Minister John Swinney has responded after former US president Donald Trump intervened in the Scottish independence debate.
Speaking to comedian Andrew Schulz on his Flagrant podcast earlier in October, the Republican candidate in the US presidential race reflected on his Scottish heritage on his mother’s side – and the movie Braveheart.
Trump's mother Mary Anne MacLeod was born in the small village of Tong on the Isle of Lewis before making the move stateside.
“My mother was great. She was a Stornoway,” Trump said. “The Hebrides. That’s, you know, that’s really serious Scottish.”
Trump then revealed his stance on independence, adding: “You know, they tried to break up Scotland from the rest of the empire, so to speak.
“And it made it by about like a half a point. They kept it together. So I hope it stays together. I hope it always stays together.”
Asked about the comments by journalists at Holyrood, the First Minister endorsed Democrat nominee Kamala Harris for US president.
He said: “People in the United States of America should vote for Kamala Harris – and I have not come to that conclusion only because Donald Trump is opposed to Scottish independence.”
The comments come after the Labour Party found themselves in hot water with the Trump campaign.
Earlier in October, a statement on DonaldJTrump.com announced an official complaint had been filed with US federal election officials, and claimed the Labour Party had “made, and the Harris campaign has accepted, illegal foreign national contributions”.
The complaint followed reports of senior Labour officials meeting with the Harris campaign, and Labour Party staffers volunteering for it on the ground.
Asked whether Labour officials’ involvement in the Harris-Walz Democrat campaign could jeopardise his relationship with Trump if he wins, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it would not.
“I spent time in New York with President Trump, had dinner with him, and my purpose in doing that was to make sure that between the two of us we established a good relationship, which we did, and I was very grateful to him for making the time,” he said.
Reports later said that Starmer would not meet Harris before Americans go to the polls on November 5.
