‘Congratulations to the convicted felon’: Scotland’s Parliament unrelentingly tears into Trump after re-election

Little did Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney know that his Donald Trump endorsement would incur the wrath of his opposition, leading to a frustration-filled but measured rant in the Scottish parliament.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie didn’t hold back at all while criticizing Swinney’s decision to send across a congratulatory letter to Donald Trump, launching a scathing on the United States President-elect, ensuring that the words sound equally harrowing to the Scottish leader of the state. Here’s Harvie’s quote in full:

“Yesterday the First Minister offered his congratulations to the convicted felon Donald Trump on his re-election. Writing officially, on behalf of the Scottish Government, he wrote that he is sure Scotland’s cultural and social ties with the US will flourish during the presidency of a misogynist, a climate denier, a fraudster, a conspiracy monger, a racist, a far right politician who tried to overturn an election result both by covert threats and by inciting violence.”

Patrick Harvie/Scottish Parliament

Harvie continued his rant:

“Words fail me. What social and cultural ties does the First Minister really think will benefit from a relationship with such a man? And what has the First Minister done so far to offer empathy and solidarity to those marginalized and vulnerable people most directly threatened by a second Trump term?”

Patrick Harvie/Scottish Parliament

In response, Swinney highlighted the need for Scotland to maintain a “good relationship” between the two countries, while simultaneously admitting “very big, real differences” between them.

The scathing criticism from Harvie didn’t stop here, as the Greens co-leader has urged Sir Keir Starmer and Swinney to ensure that Trump is disallowed from stepping foot in Scotland and the U.K. Customary visits between the U.S. and U.K. premieres are quite common, the latest example being Joe Biden’s meet with King Charles and then U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last July. Harvie’s solo hate campaign against Trump seems like a tall task at the moment, taking into account that USA is Scotland’s one of the biggest export partners.

Trump likely to visit Scotland in 2025

According to sources, Swinney plans to offer a state visit to Trump in 2025, in a bid to strengthen the ties between the two nations. If it materializes, this will be the Republican’s second visit to the European nation as a President, following the 2019 trip. Trump’s association with Scotland goes way back, as his mother, Mary, was born on the Isle of Lewis. The president-elect also owns properties in the country, most notably two golf courses, one of which he inaugurated in person in Menie in May last year.

Swinney’s current stance towards Trump is a far cry from the views he held a few months earlier, when he openly backed Kamala Harris. Trump’s Scottish business Trump International deemed it a “insult” at the time, highlighting that the two golf operations run by the American businessman employ close to 600 people in the country. The control of Trump’s golf courses resides with his sons, but it goes without saying that the next American president retains a significant interest. In Oct. 2024, Trump irked a significant portion of Scotland when he proclaimed that he hopes “United Kingdom always stays together,” when asked about his views on Scottish independence on a podcast.