John Swinney has turned down a White House invitation from Donald Trump, after the US president called the Scottish first minister on Monday and asked him to attend a state banquet next week. The Scottish Government said the four-minute call focused on the invitation and that Swinney politely declined because the event falls during campaigning for next month’s Holyrood elections.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said Trump had called Swinney “to invite him to the State Banquet at the White House next week,” and added: “Due to the election, the First Minister politely declined the invitation.” Swinney took the call in his capacity as First Minister and will remain in that role throughout the campaign, even as he steps back from the Washington invitation.
The banquet is being held as part of the King and Queen’s forthcoming state visit to the US, and the timing put Swinney in an awkward spot. He is still running the Scottish Government while the election campaign is under way, which gave the White House invitation a political edge far beyond the usual diplomatic niceties.
The decision also fits a relationship between the two men that has already been tested in person. Trump first met Swinney in June 2025 at a private dinner during a visit to Scotland, and the pair met more formally the next day ahead of the opening of a second course at Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf club. That June meeting was understood to have focused on Scotch whisky tariffs and the situation in Gaza.
An SNP spokesperson said Swinney will keep engaging with Trump where it serves Scotland’s interests, but will also be clear where he disagrees with the US administration, including on its actions in Iran. The line leaves no doubt about the approach he is taking: open to contact, but not prepared to accept every invitation while the campaign is live.
For Swinney, the answer to Trump’s call was simple. He declined the banquet because the election comes first, and he plans to keep the White House channel open on his own terms.
