By Kyle Gunn

THE American election vote is now underway to decide who will replace Joe Biden in the White House.

With the result on a knife-edge the only certainty is it will either be a return of President Trump or the first black female president will be sworn in early next year. 

As the world waits, UWSNews looks at what the impact could be on Scotland. 

A key area is the economy with analysts predicting if Donald Trump wins the election, inflation could begin to rise again due to proposed import tariffs. 

University of Glasgow Professor of Citizenship, Chris Carman, said: “What happens in the American economy has massive implications to what happens in the global economy. Trump has promised to massively increase the number of tariffs and the size of tariffs and getting rid of a domestic income tax.”

Meanwhile, a potential Harris victory would benefit the Scottish finances and businesses, Carman argued.

Speaking to journalists at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday October 30, First Minister, John Swinney said: “People in the United States of America should vote for Kamala Harris. And I’ve not come to that conclusion only because Donald Trump is opposed to Scottish independence.”

Replying to the First Minister, Sarah Malone, the Executive Vice President of Trump International Scotland commented: “The Trump family has shown unwavering commitment to Scotland, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the Scottish economy and driving many tens of thousands of international visitors to Scotland every year.  

“Around 600 people – the majority of whom are Scottish – are employed directly by Trump businesses and many more local and national businesses thrive on supplying services to our resorts. “It is appalling to see the first minister, who talks of the need to encourage economic growth, insult this commitment and all the people involved in delivering world-class services here in Scotland.”