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<\/p>\n“It might be through gritted teeth, but the King and the UK and Scottish Governments have done the right thing in prioritising jobs in their dealings with Trump.”<\/p>\n
04:30, 02 May 2026Updated 08:26, 02 May 2026<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
John Swinney with a glass of whisky(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
Whisky is Scotland\u2019s gift to the world and, more importantly, sustains 40,000 jobs. So it\u2019s welcome news that Donald Trump has agreed to lift US tariffs on whisky exported across the Atlantic.<\/a><\/p>\n America is by far the most valuable foreign market for distillers and the extra taxes previously announced by the Republican leader were hammering<\/a> revenues.<\/p>\n So credit must go to the King for using all his charm on the President and convincing him to drop the whisky tariffs. It was the royal couple who Trump mentioned personally when he announced the end of tariffs.<\/a><\/p>\n Perhaps the increased revenues from more whisky sales will even help pay for the maintenance of the many royal households that UK taxpayers keep going.<\/p>\n John Swinney<\/a> too deserves praise after raising the issue of tariffs and their negative impact with the President. Trump has few fans in Scotland but the reality is he runs the world\u2019s largest economy.<\/p>\n We can\u2019t afford to shut the door on the US, whether we agree with Trump<\/a> and his many costly military interventions or not.<\/p>\n Swinney played to Trump\u2019s vanity with some thoughtful gifts on the occasions they\u2019ve met, like the tasteful<\/a> framed family parchment uncovered from the Scottish archives.<\/p>\n And he even received a \u201ccongratulations John\u201d note from the US President <\/a>yesterday after the tariffs decision was made.<\/p>\n It might be through gritted teeth, but the King and the UK and Scottish Governments have done the right thing in prioritising jobs in their dealings<\/a> with Trump.<\/p>\n Diplomacy<\/a> takes many forms and in this instance, it has paid off.<\/p>\n Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!<\/p>\n Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.<\/p>\n You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.<\/p>\n All you have to do is click here<\/a>, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!<\/p>\n We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n Homes warning<\/p>\n The Daily Record reveals today that the bill to house homeless people in Glasgow B&Bs has trebled to almost \u00a370million. That won\u2019t come as a surprise<\/a> to readers who have followed our stories on the growing problem of asylum seekers coming to the city to seek housing.<\/p>\n Glasgow\u2019s leaders are right to demand extra support<\/a> from the Home Office to deal with this rising number of applicants. And it is up to governments in Edinburgh and London to come up with a workable solution.<\/p>\n The people of Glasgow should not be financially<\/a> punished because of the UK\u2019s broken asylum system. The sums being shelled out are significant in a city already struggling with severe budget pressures.<\/p>\n