Scotland should prepare for the “gangster” US president to change his mind on whisky tariffs, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader has said.
Responding to this week’s deal which saw tariffs on Scotch whisky scrapped, Alex Cole-Hamilton said the current US administration is not as “trustworthy” as previous ones.
Mr Cole-Hamilton spoke during a visit to McGhee’s bakery factory in Glasgow, on the last weekend of campaigning ahead of the Scottish Parliament election.
The Scottish Lib Dem leader tried his hand at putting the icing on a batch of Empire biscuits.
The whisky deal with the US, which came after the King’s state visit, led to a political dispute in Scotland over who should take credit for it.
Mr Cole-Hamilton told the Press Association: “I think this playground spat between John Swinney and the King is really a distraction.”
He Scotland should prepare for Mr Trump to change his mind “as he does with alarming regularity”.
He said the Lib Dems would seek a bespoke customs union with the EU which would strengthen the whisky industry.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “Donald Trump is a gangster. He started an illegal war in the Middle East…
“It’s important to trade with America, but we need to keep a weather eye on the fact that America – right now – this administration isn’t as trustworthy as it used to be.”
He added: “I look forward to a time when we don’t have to live and die with every whim, every tweet he sends out.”
The Scottish Lib Dem leader also spoke about being approached to join MI6 as he left university, a story which emerged in an interview with the Scottish Sun.
He said that on the day he graduated, he received a letter purportedly from the Foreign Office, which he spoke to his tutor about.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “I went to see him and sure enough he’d put my name forward as a potential candidate for the secret intelligence service.
“After discussion with him and people that worked in the organisation, I decided it wasn’t for me.
“I didn’t want to participate in something that might lead to somebody’s death.”