Trump opens his new Scottish golf course before return to US to ‘put out fires'
The US president teed off at the New Course in Menie in front of a crowd including golfers, the Scottish First Minister and the Scottish Labour leader.
Mr Trump also made reference to late James Bond actor Sir Sean Connery's reported support for his golf resort – even attempting to recreate the actor's voice.
Just before hitting the first ball at the New Course, the US president told those gathered on a grandstand: 'We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful.
'The area has really welcomed us. If you remember at the beginning there wasn't quite a welcome, but it wasn't bad.
'But with time they liked us more and more, now they love us and we love them.'
Mr Trump added: 'I look forward to playing it today.
'We'll play it very quickly and then I go back to DC and we put out fires all over the world.
'We did one yesterday – you know we stopped the war. We've stopped about five wars.
'That's much more important than playing golf. As much as I like it, it's much more important.'
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the president thanked his son Eric for his role in creating the new 18-hole course, adding: '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 at a private dinner, and the two had a more formal meeting on Tuesday ahead of the course opening.
This meeting is understood to have focused on Scotch whisky tariffs and the situation in Gaza.
Mr Trump will head back to the US later on Tuesday on Air Force One, as his Scottish visit comes to a close.
Construction of the new course in Menie began in 2023, with Mr Trump and his son Eric breaking ground on the project.
Trump International Scotland claims the two courses will be the 'greatest 36 holes in golf'.
Critics say the Trump developments in Scotland have not delivered as many jobs as promised and work at the Menie site has caused environmental damage.
Members of the media watched the opening ceremony from a grandstand, with music played beforehand including Roxanne, Thriller, and Surfin' USA, plus music by the Script and Elvis.
The president has already played several rounds of golf during his Scottish trip, teeing off at his other resort in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump hit out at the UK's taxes on North Sea oil, saying the natural resource is a 'treasure chest' for the country.
He wrote on Truth Social: 'They have essentially told drillers and oil companies that, 'we don't want you'.
'Incentivize the drillers, fast.
'A vast fortune to be made for the UK, and far lower energy costs for the people!'
The US president's fifth and final day in Scotland on Tuesday follows a meeting and press conference with Sir Keir Starmer on Monday.
As they met at Turnberry for bilateral talks on trade and the situation in Gaza, Mr Trump and Sir Keir took part in what proved to be a lengthy media event, with the president discussing a number of topics.
The Republican Party leader spoke of his 'great love' for Scotland and said he wanted to see the nation 'thrive'.
The president also hosted a dinner at Menie with members of his family and guests including the Prime Minister.
A demonstration took place in Balmedie, near the resort, on Monday.
A small number of protesters sat at the roadside in the centre of the village, surrounded by cardboard signs bearing anti-Trump slogans.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Euro set for first monthly decline this year, focus switches to Fed
SINGAPORE, July 30 (Reuters) - The euro steadied near its lowest in a month on Wednesday, nursing steep losses this week as investors counted the cost of the U.S.-EU trade pact, while the dollar wobbled ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting. The Japanese yen firmed against the dollar after a powerful earthquake struck off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula and generated a tsunami, prompting evacuation warnings in the area and across most of Japan's east coast. Currency markets were mostly steady as investors were hesitant to place bets before crucial economic reports and central bank meetings in Canada, Japan and the United States. U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to seek an extension of their 90-day tariff truce, following two days of what both sides described as constructive talks in Stockholm. No major breakthroughs were announced and U.S. officials said it was up to President Donald Trump to decide whether to extend a truce that expires on August 12. The Sino-U.S. talks come after a framework deal between the U.S. and EU was announced on Sunday. The accord has evoked a mix of relief and concern from Europe, as the agreement was lopsided and skewed towards the United States. Investors have been keeping an eye on the trade pacts as countries scramble to get deals over the line before the August 1 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump. "Markets seem to be increasingly interpreting trade agreements as symbolic and tactical rather than structural resolution," said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo in Singapore. "With terms often vague and enforcement mechanisms weak, investors are assigning lower market beta to these negotiations unless backed by concrete detail." The euro was 0.19% higher at $1.1566 after dropping for the first two days of the week and hitting a one-month low of $1.15185 on Tuesday. The euro is up 11.7% since the start of the year but on course for its first monthly drop this year. The single currency has benefited this year from the dollar losing its lustre due to Trump's erratic trade policies, prompting investors to look for alternatives. Sterling was at $1.3358 and the Australian dollar last bought $0.6517. The offshore yuan was little changed at 7.178 per U.S. dollar. That left the dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six others, at 98.815, hovering near a one-month high. The index is set to record its first month of gains this year. Investor focus will now switch to central bank meetings, with the Fed widely expected to stand pat on rates later on Wednesday, making comments from Chair Jerome Powell crucial to gauge the policy path. The meeting comes in the wake of Trump's constant demands for rate cuts, which have coincided with an unrelenting campaign of attacks on Powell by the president and administration officials. There is speculation that Governor Christopher Waller and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman could issue dissents if the Fed on Wednesday holds the policy rate steady for the fifth time since December. Both were appointed by Trump as was Powell. "While dissenting isn't uncommon, the dissents at this week's meeting may get more focus because Trump has made it crystal clear that he thinks the FOMC should be lowering interest rates," said Kristina Clifton, a senior economist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney. "Dissents at this meeting may be judged as political and put a dent in perceptions of the FOMC's independence." The BOJ is also expected to stand pat and the spotlight will be on comments from Governor Kazuo Ueda as investors hope the recent trade deal between Japan and the U.S. paves the way for the central bank to raise interest rates again this year. The yen firmed 0.3% to 147.94 per dollar and was last at 148.06 after news broke about the Pacific earthquake and tsunami, with investors on alert for any damage to key infrastructure in Japan. Christopher Wong, currency strategist at OCBC, said the yen strength was in reaction to earthquake-related headlines and likely exacerbated by thin market liquidity. "The Nightmare of 2011 Tohoku earthquake lingers," he said, referring to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan in March 2011. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin was 0.4% higher at $117,944.64, while ether rose 1% to $3,807.34.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
How is Starmer's government doing? Here's what 'end-of-term' report from voters says
One year on, how's Keir Starmer's government going? We've put together an end-of-term report with the help of pollster YouGov. First, here are the government's approval ratings - drifting downwards. It didn't start particularly high. There has never been a honeymoon. But here is the big change. Last year's Labour voters now disapprove of their own government. That wasn't true at the start - but is now. And remember, it's easier to keep your existing voter coalition together than to get new ones from elsewhere. So we have looked at where voters who backed Labour last year have gone now. YouGov's last mega poll shows half of Labour voters last year - 51% - say they would vote for them again if an election was held tomorrow. Around one in five (19%) say they don't know who they'd vote for - or wouldn't vote. But Labour are also leaking votes to the Lib Dems, Greens and Reform. These are the main reasons why. A sense that Labour haven't delivered on their promises is top - just above the cost of living. Some 22% say they've been too right-wing, with a similar number saying Labour have "made no difference". Immigration and public services are also up there. Now, YouGov asked people whether they think the cabinet is doing a good or a bad job, and combined the two figures together to get a net score. John Healey and Bridget Phillipson are on top, but the big beats of Angela Rayner, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves bottom. But it's not over for Labour. Here's one scenario - 2024 Labour voters say they would much prefer a Labour-led government over a Conservative one. But what about a Reform UK-led government? Well, Labour polls even better against them - just 11% of people who voted Labour in 2024 want to see them enter Number 10. Signs of hope for Keir Starmer. But as Labour MPs head off for their summer holidays, few of their voters would give this government an A*.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Trump says he may skip G20 summit in South Africa, cites policy disapproval
WASHINGTON, July 29 (Reuters) - President Donald Trumpsaid on Tuesday he might skip the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) leaders' summit in South Africa in November and send someone else to represent the United States, citing his disapproval of South African policies. "I think maybe I'll send somebody else because I've had a lot of problems with South Africa. They have some very bad policies," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump has taken issue with South African domestic and foreign policies - ranging from its land policy to its case accusing Israel of genocide in the U.S. ally's war in Gaza. Trump signed an executive order in February to cut U.S. financial assistance to South Africa. In May, Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with false claims of white genocide and land seizures during a White House meeting. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also boycotted a G20 foreign ministers' meeting in South Africa, which has the G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025. Washington, both under Trump and former President Joe Biden, has complained about the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, where it accused Israel of genocide over its military assault in Gaza. Israel's assault has killed tens of thousands, caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and also led to accusations of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations and casts its Gaza offensive as self-defense after a deadly October 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and in which over 250 were taken hostage. Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and South Africa have also been strained under Trump due to South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies to address the legacy of centuries of racial inequality. Ramaphosa, who has urged Trump to attend the G20 summit, rejects Washington's claims that South Africa will use its land policy to arbitrarily confiscate white-owned land.
