DONALD Trump has responded to John Swinney’s plan to win a second Scottish independence referendum.
The US president was asked about the First Minister’s plan at a press conference at his golf course in Turnberry, South Ayrshire on Monday.
He said: “I don’t want to get involved in your politics, we got enough politics of our own.
“I will say that I predicted what was going to happen the last time.”
He noted that he was opening his golf course in Aberdeenshire at the time and had called the result for Better Together, adding: “I like to be correct.”
Trump added: “I do say that when they made that deal, somebody said that it was, and I remember this very distinctly, I said, could they do this all the time?
“There was a little bit of a restriction like 50 or 75 years before you could take another vote because, you know, a country can't go through that too much.
“I don't know the First Minister, but I've heard great things about him.
“I've spoken to him. I hear very good things about him and I'm meeting him today, so maybe I'll have a better opinion.”
Swinney on Monday put forward his plans for Scottish independence, saying getting a second referendum could only be achieved if the SNP win a majority in Holyrood.
They are the only party to ever win a majority in the Scottish Parliament, a feat achieved under Alex Salmond in 2011.
Swinney said: “For us to achieve that independence, the first step is to secure a legal referendum recognised by all. In 2011, we secured that reliable and dependable route when the SNP achieved a majority of seats at Holyrood.
“That is the only mechanism that has been proven to deliver such a vote - so that is what we need to deliver again.”
There has been a pro-Yes majority in [[Holyrood]] since that result – though Westminster has repeatedly blocked attempts to hold another referendum on this basis.
Keir Starmer ruled out another referendum at the press conference in Scotland on Monday.
Sitting alongside the president, he added: “I think that at a time like this, when it’s quite clear that there’s uncertainty and volatility around the world, the strength of the United Kingdom together is very important for all four nations, very important for Scotland, and that should be our priority.”
The plan has also been criticised by members of the Yes movement, with Scottish Greens leadership contender Ross Greer calling it "a plan for self-preservation by the [[SNP]]", not a strategy for independence.
He added: "Every vote for pro-independence parties next May is a vote for independence, whatever the First Minister says."
