Donald Trump in Scotland for golf and UK trade talks

Donald Trump arrives in Scotland to open a new golf course and meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, as security tightens and protests mount.

Donald Trump is visiting Scotland this week, flying in to promote his golf resorts and hold talks with British leaders, in a trip that blends personal business interests with political engagements.

The U.S. president will spend four days in the country where his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born. His itinerary includes a visit to Turnberry in South Ayrshire, which he purchased in 2014, and the Menie estate in Aberdeenshire, where he will officially open a new 18-hole course.

The White House confirmed Trump will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to discuss trade and tariffs. He is also expected to meet Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney. Business groups such as the Scotch Whisky Association are urging both leaders to press Trump on reducing U.S. tariffs on British exports.

The trip has prompted major security operations, with military aircraft seen landing at Aberdeen and Prestwick airports. Roads have been sealed off, and airspace restrictions are in effect. Police Scotland estimates the cost of the visit’s policing could exceed £5 million.

While this is not an official state visit, it precedes a formal one in September, when Trump will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle. He is not expected to meet the monarch during this visit.

Anti-Trump demonstrations are being planned in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, but the president could find a more receptive audience in parts of Scotland such as Aberdeen, which has deep links to the oil industry. Trump recently criticised the UK’s green energy policies, telling the BBC that “Aberdeen should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil.”

His comments were rejected by environmental campaigners. The group Uplift said the idea that the North Sea can still ensure the UK’s energy security “runs counter to reality.”

Trump has long opposed wind farms, famously clashing with local authorities over a coastal wind energy project near his Menie resort, which he said would “destroy Scotland.” When asked by a Scottish Parliament committee to provide evidence of negative impacts on tourism, he responded, “I am the evidence.”

Despite the controversy, the wind farm was built and is now clearly visible from the golf course.

Trump’s visit also comes amid heightened security concerns, following an assassination attempt against him earlier this month. A man has been charged with attempting to shoot the president through a fence at his West Palm Beach resort. U.S. Secret Service officials remain under scrutiny for lapses in security, and Trump’s Scottish visit has placed additional pressure on local law enforcement.

This is not the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited Scotland, but such visits remain rare. Previous examples include Dwight Eisenhower in 1957, George W. Bush in 2005 for the G8 summit, and Joe Biden at the 2021 COP26 conference. Trump himself previously visited in 2018, when he was met by protests.

Turnberry, one of Trump’s signature holdings, has not hosted the Open Championship since his 2014 purchase. The sport’s governing body, the R&A, has cited logistical reasons for excluding it. Trump has taken issue with the decision, calling it a snub.

Though he now holds the highest office in the Western world again, Trump’s actions in Scotland underscore how closely he continues to link politics with personal branding. As one former Scottish lawmaker noted, “Donald Trump never stopped being a businessman. Even as president, that part of him never left.”

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