Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has reportedly turned down an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to attend a state banquet at the White House next week. Instead, he chose to stay focused on the upcoming Scottish Parliament election.
John Swinney declines Donald Trump’s invitation to White House
A spokesperson confirmed that John Swinney “politely declined” the invitation to the April 28 banquet, which is part of the official state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the United States. The invitation was made during a brief four-minute phone call between Donald Trump and Swinney on April 20. However, the First Minister cited his ongoing campaign responsibilities ahead of Scotland’s parliamentary elections as the reason for not attending.
A Scottish government spokesperson shared with BBC, “President Trump called First Minister John Swinney to invite him to the State Banquet at the White House next week. Due to the election, the first minister politely declined the invitation.”
The upcoming U.S. visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla, scheduled from April 27 to April 30, is the monarch’s first state trip to the country since Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2007. The royal itinerary includes Washington, D.C., where they will meet Trump privately before attending the state banquet, followed by visits to New York, Virginia, and Bermuda.
Meanwhile, the Holyrood election is scheduled for May 7, with Swinney continuing in his role as first minister throughout the campaign period. His decision to stay in Scotland reflects a focus on domestic political priorities during a critical electoral window.
Swinney has engaged with Trump previously, including a meeting at the White House in September last year, where discussions centered on a potential exemption for Scotch whisky from U.S. import tariffs. Shortly after, he attended a state banquet in Trump’s honor at Windsor Castle. The minister had also spoken on the matter of the Iran war, joining the voices for de-escalation.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
