Politics and protests: What to expect from Donald Trump's Scotland visit

ITV News

a day ago

Donald Trump will arrive in Scotland later on Friday, on his first visit to the UK since his re-election.
The US president will be met by both political leaders and protests during the visit, which is expected to last five days, and will see him inaugurate a new golf course in Aberdeenshire.
The trip comes two months before the King is due to welcome Trump for a formal state visit to the UK.
The Trump administration continues to deal with turmoil on the home front, as the president struggles to salvage his reputation with voters amid reports around his friendship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
But Trump's visit to his ancestral home will hardly provide an escape from controversy. The visit has faced criticism from both political opponents and local residents, and will see a significant police operation across Scotland.
Why is Trump visiting Scotland?
Trump is expected to visit his Turnberry golf resort, as well as his course at Menie in Aberdeenshire.
His trip also comes as a new golf course is about to debut on August 13, which the Trump family business has billed "the greatest 36 holes in golf."
Trump is dedicating the new course to his Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis.
But Trump's existing Aberdeenshire course has been mired in controversy in recent years, after it struggled to turn a profit, and was found by Scottish conservation authorities to have partially destroyed nearby sand dunes.
Trump's company was also ordered to cover the Scottish government's legal costs after the course unsuccessfully sued over the construction of a nearby wind farm, arguing in part that it damaged golfers' views.
Critics also argue the trip - which is expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars - is a blatant example of Trump blending his presidential duties with promoting his family's business interests.
The White House has brushed off questions about potential conflicts of interest, arguing that Trump's business success before he entered politics was key to his appeal with voters.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers called his visit "a working trip", but added that Trump has "built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport."
Who will Trump meet during his visit?
The president will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his stay, when the pair are expected to discuss the UK-US trade deal.
Trump said the meeting would likely take place at one of his properties.
He will also meet with Scottish First Minister John Swinney. The SNP leader previously said he would take the opportunity to raise various issues with the president, including tariffs, Gaza, and Ukraine.
Speaking ahead of his arrival, Swinney said the global attention the visit will receive provides the opportunity to promote Scotland's tourism sector and economic investment potential, as well as to allow people to respectfully demonstrate the principles of freedom and justice.
"Scotland shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries," he said ahead of the visit.
"The partnership remains steadfast through economic, cultural and ancestral links - including, of course, with the president himself."
The first minister said Scotland is a "proud democratic nation" that "stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world."
Swinney has been vocally critical of the US president in the past, and openly endorsed Trump's political opponent Kamala Harris before last year's election - a move branded an "insult" by a spokesperson for Trump's Scottish businesses.
John Swinney has argued that it is "in Scotland's interest" for him to meet the president, and for the visit to go ahead.
But some Scots disagree, and a major police operation is being mounted during the visit in anticipation of protests.
Thousands of officers are expected to be deployed by Police Scotland, who will deal with planned mass protests around Trump's golf courses and major Scottish cities.
Trade unions, disability rights activists, climate justice campaigners, Palestinian and Ukrainian solidarity groups and American diaspora organisations are among those holding demonstrations in protest of the visit.
The Stop Trump Scotland group has encouraged demonstrators to come to Aberdeen and 'show Trump exactly what we think of him in Scotland.'
A spokesperson for the organisation said: "The people of Scotland don't want to roll out a welcome mat for Donald Trump, whose government is accelerating the spread of climate breakdown around the world."
They also said that people in Scotland "simply wanted to live in peace near what is now [Trump's] vanity project golf course", and have "experienced Trump's abusive and high-handed behaviour first-hand, long before he entered the White House."
Protests are planned in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dumfries. During Trump's visit to Scotland in 2018, similar gatherings drew thousands of protestors.