Marine One arrives as Scotland gears up for Trump's visit... while back home he targets old foe Obama in bizarre AI generated posts
The huge security operation began in earnest at the Ayrshire hub as US military planes and helicopters gathered ahead of his arrival on Friday.
Two US Army C17A Globemaster aircraft arrived carrying what was thought to be the S92 Marine One Presidential Helicopter.
The helicopter was spotted flying out from the HMS Gannet airbase at Prestwick yesterday in test flights around Ayrshire with US servicemen.
Last week the President claimed the UK needed to 'get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil' as he announced he will meet Sir Keir Starmer in Aberdeen.
Mr Trump hit out at the renewables drive as he prepared for his four-day private visit to open his latest golf course in Aberdeenshire.
Confirming the talks with Sir Keir, the President said his 'state meeting with the Prime Minister' will be 'up in Aberdeen, which is the oil capital of Europe'.
He added: 'They should bring it back too. They have so much oil there. They should get rid of the energy windmills and bring back the oil.'
The 79-year-old already owns two Scottish golf courses, one in Menie, Aberdeenshire, as well as Turnberry, in Ayrshire, where it is thought he will be staying.
His latest golf links is named the MacLeod Course after his mother Mary, who was born on Lewis.
It comes as Trump marked his six-month anniversary in office by posting a string of bizarre videos, including an AI-generated clip of Barack Obama being arrested at the White House and a fake mugshot of him.
The US leader told the former President to 'lawyer up' following disclosures linking Obama-era officials to the origins of the FBI Russia investigation.
The tirade came after Trump administration officials and conservative media widely promoted declassified documents suggesting Mr Obama played a central role in what Mr Trump has called the 'Russia hoax', the investigation into his administration's ties to the foreign adversary.
The doctored video portrayed Mr Obama in an orange jumpsuit, accompanied by the message 'No one is above the law'.
The footage, created by a little-known TikTok user, was one of dozens of posts uploaded to Mr Trump's Truth Social account.
A separate video with a grim reaper figure describes the most 'co-ordinated political deception in US history' regarding Mr Obama's meeting with top intelligence officials to undermine Mr Trump's original election.
'Intelligence was politicised at the highest levels under the direction of a sitting president to frame the incoming one,' the ominous figure declares. 'It was a soft coup.'
Last week, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a cache of declassified documents from the final weeks of the Obama administration, alleging they expose a 'treasonous conspiracy' to undermine Trump after his 2016 victory.
Several of Mr Trump's posts featured clips of Gabbard calling for Mr Obama to be prosecuted over claims of Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election.
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Scottish Sun
14 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Keir Starmer & John Swinney face difficult ‘balancing act' after Donald Trump admits he's in a grumpy mood
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The President insisted it was nothing to do with imminent talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, and asked why he was in a bad mood and if it was to do with his latest golf round, Mr Trump said: 'No, the golf was beautiful. Golf can never be bad.' But minutes later, a tetchy-sounding President launched into another of his trademark attacks on windfarms, which he famously battled against - in vain - off the Aberdeenshire coast. In a two-and-half minute blast, he claimed he would 'not allow a windmill to be built in the US' as 'they're killing the beauty of our scenery, our valleys, our beautiful planes - and I'm not talking about aeroplanes, I'm talking about beautiful planes, beautiful areas in the US'. He said 'almost all' were made in China and 'when they start to rust and rot in eight years, you can't really turn them off, you can't bury them'. 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Sir Keir is under intense pressure from Labour backbenchers and opposition parties including the SNP to push Mr Trump for the US to revive Gaza ceasefire talks, and also to further the recent UK-US trade deal by pressuring for the removal of punishing ten per cent tariffs on products including Scotch whisky. And Mr Swinney is under fire from left-wingers in the SNP and at Holyrood for even meeting with Mr Trump. The First Minister was blasted by critics at the weekend for announcing £180,000 to help Mr Trump's Menie course to host a golf comp, which wannabe Greens leader Ross Greer claimed was like 'bending the knee' to the US President or 'giving the school bully your lunch money'. A senior Nats source defended Mr Swinney's approach, with the Tories also accusing him of hypocrisy after claims he had last wee 'whipped up' anti-Trump protests, but was now trying to curry favour with the world's most powerful man. 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Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
John Swinney is accused of 'grandstanding' after holding private talks with top European official
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'The Prime Minister is also expected to welcome the President's administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. 'He will discuss further with him what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long.' Sir Keir is hoping to use the talks to display the strength of the UK/US relationship. It comes ahead of the President's State visit to the UK in September.
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on talking in class: the writers speaking up for oracy education are right
Two years ago, Sir Keir Starmer enthused about teaching speaking skills. So schools campaigners were understandably dismayed when oracy – otherwise known as speaking and listening – did not appear in the interim report of the curriculum review for England headed by Prof Becky Francis. Peter Hyman, the former New Labour adviser who became a headteacher, has been a key figure behind the revival, over the past decade, of an idea developed in the 1960s. Steps to embed the importance of verbal communication in education have already been taken, with more than 1,000 schools working with the charity Voice 21, and a parallel project in Scotland. The hope expressed by children's authors and others last week is that its absence from the draft report was an oversight which will soon be rectified. The task before Prof Francis's commission is a daunting one, with reformers of all kinds looking to it for solutions. An evidence call attracted 7,000 responses, with the future of special educational needs provision, and a wish to reduce exams, among key issues raised. But it should be clear to the panel, and to ministers, that oral learning also matters. One reason is the rising number of children arriving in primary school with speech and language skills below the expected level. While some pupils catch up later, others need specialist help. Communication difficulties are one reason for the increase in the number of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), which set out what such support entails. The reasons for such complex changes are not yet fully understood, although the pandemic has had an impact. The challenge of artificial intelligence, in relation to university studies as well as schools, is another factor behind a renewed emphasis on talking. Given the easy availability of technological tools to aid writing, it is arguably more important than ever that people are equipped to share ideas and knowledge through speech as well. In many European countries oral examinations are far more common, in schools as well as universities, whereas in the UK 'vivas' are mostly reserved for postgraduate studies. In foreign language learning, the importance of speaking is taken for granted. But while oracy already features in the maths and science curriculum, as well as in English, it is often marginalised. The tricky task of reformers is to alter teaching practice so that more weight is placed on verbal communication, without making this yet another assessment hurdle to be cleared. For its champions, the core of oracy education is the ability to make connections. They want young people to be able to express themselves, and point out that this is a vital life skill – for example, in job interviews and the kinds of public‑facing work that seem least likely to be taken over by machines – for which school should prepare them. Big gaps in confidence about public speaking have long been recognised among the most glaring social inequalities. This doesn't mean that everyone should aspire to be a debating champion. Different accents, personalities and ways of relating should be valued, not ironed out. But if our schools are to keep pace with our frenetically changing world, it is surely right that they should maximise the facility for language, which is part of what makes us human.
