Trump suggests Sir Sean Connery helped get his golf resort plans ‘into line'
Mr Trump even attempted to recreate the late actor's voice as he addressed a crowd of invited guests and media in Menie on Tuesday.
In 2008, Sir Sean described Mr Trump's proposals to develop the land in north-east Scotland as 'terrific' – though he did not know what the local impact would be.
John Swinney said the controversial proposals were handled with 'due process' by the Scottish Government's planning reporter.
During the final day of his trip to Scotland, Mr Trump hit the first ball at the New Course in Menie.
He was joined by members of his family including his sons Donald Jnr and Eric – the latter of whom has overseen the creation of the course.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the president said: 'This has been an unbelievable development.
'The land, they said it couldn't get zoned, it was an impossibility.
'And Sean Connery said 'let the bloody bloke build his golf course'.
'Once he said that everything came into line. John (Swinney) and I were talking about that last night.'
The president met First Minister Mr Swinney on Monday evening for a private dinner, and the two had a more formal meeting on Tuesday ahead of the course opening.
The president also said: 'We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful.'
Mr Swinney spoke to journalists about his earlier exchange with the president and the suggestion that Sir Sean helped to secure permission for the golf courses.
The First Minister said it was matter of 'historical record' that two committees of Aberdeenshire Council came to different conclusions on Mr Trump's proposals, which had proved divisive in the area.
Mr Swinney said that as a minister at the time he had taken a decision to 'call in' the application, with a government reporter reviewing the planning application according to 'due process'.
Asked if Sir Sean had no involvement, the First Minister said: 'Well, that's an explanation of the due process.'
Opponents of the development were concerned about the environmental impact and staged a high-profile campaign against the plans.
In August 2008, Sir Sean spoke of his enthusiasm for Mr Trump's plans for the north-east of Scotland.
He told an audience in Edinburgh he had met the businessman after the plans were announced, saying: 'I said 'Well, I think it's terrific'.
'But I had no idea what local repercussions would be.
'My first response was I couldn't see anything but benefits for that part of Scotland because it's pretty neglected, apart from the oil fields.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
6 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump says US to hit India with 25% tariff starting August 1
WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, July 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed a 25% tariff on goods imported from India starting August 1, as well as an unspecified penalty for buying Russian arms and oil - moves that could strain relations with the world's most populous democracy. The U.S. decision singles out India more severely than other major trading partners, and threatens to unravel months of talks between the two countries, undermining a key strategic partner of Washington's and a counterbalance to China. "While India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!" In response, the Indian government said in a statement that it was studying the implications of Trump's announcements and remained dedicated to securing a fair trade deal with the U.S. "India and the U.S. have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months. We remain committed to that objective," it said. The White House had previously warned India about its high average applied tariffs - nearly 39% on agricultural products - with rates climbing to 45% on vegetable oils and around 50% on apples and corn. Russia continued to be the top oil supplier to India during the first six months of 2025, making up 35% of overall supplies. The United States, the world's largest economy, currently has a $45.7 billion trade deficit with India, the fifth largest. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Trump has been frustrated with the progress of trade talks with India and believed the 25% tariff announcement would help the situation. Hassett said more information on the additional penalty would be made "shortly." The new U.S. tax on imports from India would be higher than many other countries that struck a deal with the Trump administration recently. Vietnam's tariff is set at 20% and Indonesia's at 19%, while the levy for Japan and the European Union is 15%. "This is a major setback for Indian exporters, especially in sectors like textiles, footwear and furniture, as the 25% tariff will render them uncompetitive against rivals from Vietnam and China," said S.C. Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisation. The news pushed the Indian rupee down 0.4% to around 87.80 against the U.S. dollar in the non-deliverable forwards market, from its close at 87.42 during market hours. Gift Nifty futures were trading at 24,692 points, down 0.6%. U.S. and Indian negotiators have held multiple rounds of discussions to resolve contentious issues, particularly over market access into India for U.S. agricultural and dairy products. In its latest statement, India said it attached the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of its farmers, entrepreneurs and small businesses. "The government will take all steps necessary to secure our national interest, as has been the case with other trade agreements," it said. The setback comes despite earlier commitments by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump to conclude the first phase of a trade deal by autumn 2025 and expand bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, from $191 billion in 2024. Since India's short but deadly conflict with arch South Asian rival Pakistan, New Delhi has been unhappy about Trump's closeness with Islamabad and has protested, which cast a shadow over trade talks. "Politically the relationship is in its toughest spot since the mid-1990s," said Ashok Malik, partner at advisory firm The Asia Group. "Trust has diminished. President Trump's messaging has damaged many years of careful, bipartisan nurturing of the U.S.-India partnership in both capitals." Besides farm products access, the U.S. had flagged concerns over India's increasingly burdensome import-quality requirements, among its many non-tariff barriers to foreign trade, in a report released in March. The new tariffs will impact Indian goods exports to the U.S., estimated at around $87 billion in 2024, including labour-intensive products such as garments, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewelry, and petrochemicals.
North Wales Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trump announces 25% tariff on India plus penalties for buying Russian energy
The US president said on Wednesday that India 'is our friend' but its tariffs 'are far too high' on US goods. He added that India buys military equipment and oil from Russia, which Mr Trump said has enabled the war in Ukraine. As a result, he intends to charge an additional 'penalty' starting on Friday as part of revised tariffs on multiple countries. The new tariffs could put India at a disadvantage in the US market relative to Vietnam, Bangladesh and, possibly, China, said Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations. 'We are back to square one as Trump hasn't spelled out what the penalties would be in addition to the tariff,' he added. 'The demand for Indian goods is bound to be hit.' The announcement came after a series of negotiated trade frameworks with the European Union, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia — all of which Mr Trump said would open markets for American goods while enabling the US to raise tax rates on imports. The president views tariff revenues as a way to help offset the budget deficit increases tied to his recent income tax cuts and generate more domestic factory jobs. While he has effectively wielded tariffs as a cudgel to reset the terms of trade, the economic impact is uncertain as most economists expect a slowdown in US growth and greater inflationary pressures as the costs of the taxes are passed along to domestic businesses and consumers. His approach of putting a 15% tariff on America's longstanding allies in the EU is also generating pushback — possibly causing European partners as well as Canada to seek alternatives to US leadership on the world stage. Washington has long sought to develop a deeper partnership with New Delhi. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established a good working relationship with Mr Trump, and the two leaders are likely to further boost co-operation between their countries. At a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, India is the world's largest country and a possible geopolitical counterbalance to China. India and Russia have close relations, and New Delhi has not supported western sanctions on Moscow over its war in Ukraine. When Mr Trump met Mr Modi in February, the US president said India would start buying American oil and natural gas. He discussed his policies on trade and tariffs with reporters accompanying him on Tuesday on the flight home after a five-day visit to Scotland. He declined to comment then about reports that India was bracing for a US tariff rate of at least 25%, saying: 'We're going to see.' Mr Trump also said the outlines of a trade agreement with India had not yet been finalised.
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
Major air traffic control outage grounds flights across London
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
