Trump tells Starmer to ditch windmills and drill for more oil
The US president is expected to meet Sir Keir Starmer and John Swinney during a trip to Aberdeen.
Trump, 79, has a long-held disdain for wind farms and previously complained about a development offshore spoiling the views from his golf course in Aberdeenshire.
A legal battle with the Scottish government on that issue was eventually lost.
Trump is also heavily in favour of using oil and gas with his 'drill, baby, drill' slogan.
Speaking to the BBC, Trump confirmed he would be coming to Scotland for a 'state meeting with the prime minister'.
He described Aberdeen as the oil capital of Europe and said 'they should bring it back too'.
He added: 'They have so much oil there. They should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil.
'[Because] the windmills are really detrimental to the beauty of Scotland and every other place they go up.'
Oil output from the UK North Sea peaked in 1999 and will continue to decline in the decades ahead.
The Labour government in Westminster is pushing towards net zero and has said it will no longer issue new offshore oil and gas drilling licences.
The energy profit levy also means oil and gas producers are subject to a tax rate of up to 78 per cent on their UK profits.
Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce expressed pride in the Granite City's reputation as Europe's energy capital.
A spokesman said oil and gas would be required as part of the UK's energy mix for decades to come and that producing it from the North Sea would sustain jobs and the economy.
The spokesman added: 'The biggest barrier to investment in the North Sea is a 78 per cent tax rate on profits and perhaps the US president can persuade the prime minister to lift that punitive tax when they meet in Aberdeen.'
Colin Palmer, the director of offshore at the trade body Scottish Renewables, pointed out that the wind sector supports more than 35,000 jobs in Scotland and was worth about £13 billion to the economy.
He said: 'We know that wind energy is good for jobs, good for supply chains and has the potential to make household bills more affordable.
'As well as helping to secure the UK's energy supply, wind power is poised to play a pivotal role in delivering the UK government's clean energy targets sparking a boom in Scotland's renewable energy industry which will help to grow the economy and create new jobs.'
Tessa Khan, the executive director of Uplift, which campaigns for a transition away from oil and gas, said: 'Donald Trump clearly knows nothing about the North Sea other than the view from his golf course.
'Trump is clearly looking after the interests of the oil and gas industry, which have made billions during the energy crisis, while millions of households in the UK have struggled with soaring bills.
'His team is shot through with fossil fuel interests that want the rest of the world, the UK included, to slow its transition to clean energy and remain hooked on oil and gas for years to come just so they can keep profiting.'
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