Stephen Flynn did refer to washing his hair as a possible excuse for avoiding a meeting with President Trump, but the claim assigns the comment to the wrong date and describes him as Aberdeen South’s MP despite later reports that he had moved to Holyrood.
Misleading
Stephen Flynn, the Scottish National Party MP for Aberdeen South, said he couldn’t meet with Trump today because he was busy washing his hair.
Stephen Flynn angered John Swinney over plans to skive off work for two weeks for World Cup - Scottish Daily Express
Source: scottishdailyexpress.co.uk
At a glance
Verified September 2, 2026Key Evidence
The Scottish Daily Express placed Flynn’s hair-washing remark during Trump’s 2025 visit to Scotland, rather than in a current event on September 2, 2026.
Subsequent reports state that Flynn transferred to the Scottish Parliament and that this prompted an Aberdeen South by-election, meaning the claim’s identification of him as the sitting MP is no longer current.
The 2026 issue described in the supplied coverage involved Flynn’s proposed absence for the World Cup, not whether he could attend a meeting with Trump.
The reporting
What the Evidence Shows
The Scottish Daily Express said that, during President Donald Trump’s 2025 visit to Scotland, Flynn joked that he might be occupied with a haircut, washing his hair, or another possible excuse when questioned about meeting the president. This confirms the basic hair-washing reference, but it does not support the claim’s implication that the comment was made “today” on September 2, 2026.scottishdailyexpress.co.ukscottishdailyexpress.co.ukStephen Flynn's ESTA riddle as SNP goes dark amid rumours of World Cup travel... The more recent coverage relates to a different matter. Freedom-of-information emails showed that Flynn intended to be absent from June 18 to June 27, 2026, to attend the World Cup. That plan drew criticism because it overlapped with the Aberdeen South by-election created by his move to the Scottish Parliament. BBC News, Daily Record and Aberdeen Live covered that dispute, which was unrelated to any Trump meeting. (,
bbc.co.ukbbc.co.ukSwinney 'concerned' over Flynn missing by-election for World Cup
dailyrecord.co.ukdailyrecord.co.ukJohn Swinney pulled up SNP Cabinet colleague Stephen Flynn over World Cup trip 8)
The wording also treats Flynn’s former Westminster role as current without noting his change of office. According to the supplied reports, his move to Holyrood led to the Aberdeen South by-election, making an undated description of him as the constituency’s MP misleading in the present context. Facebook posts reproduce the allegation or similar wording, but they neither confirm the date nor independently substantiate the surrounding details. (,facebook.comfacebook.comStephen Flynn, the Scottish National Party MP 7)
Primary trail
Verified Sources10
Open source
Stephen Flynn angered John Swinney over plans to skive off work for two weeks...
Scottish News
Transparency
Revision history
- Version 2September 2, 2026
The best-supported verdict changed from False to Misleading. The fresh evidence directly supports that Flynn made a joking reference to being busy getting a haircut or washing his hair as a possible excuse for not meeting Trump, but places the remark during Trump's 2025 Scotland visit, not “today.” It also indicates Flynn had subsequently moved to the Scottish Parliament, so describing him as the current MP for Aberdeen South is no longer accurate. The evidence does not establish that he actually could not meet Trump or that washing his hair was the definitive reason.
False → Misleading - Version 1July 26, 2025
Initial published version
False