Van showing Trump and Epstein picture driven round Aberdeen as US president visits Scotland
The video was posted as the US president spoke with Sir Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf course ball room in South Ayrshire.
Mr Trump and the prime minister met to discuss the UK-US trade deal as Britain hopes to be spared from the president's tariff regime.
Footage showed the vehicle passing Marischal College in the city centre.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
8 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Trump didn't push me to support new oil and gas drilling, Swinney says
The SNP leader said the US President made his views clear during their dinner on Monday but did not actively press him to back fresh drilling in the North Sea. Mr Swinney said he was aware of Mr Trump's posts on his social media platform urging the UK to lower taxes and drill. US President Donald Trump played some golf at Trump International Golf Links, on the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire (Jane Barlow/PA) On the last day of his five-day visit to Scotland, the American leader posted: 'North Sea Oil is a treasure chest for the United Kingdom. 'The taxes are so high, however, that it makes no sense. '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!' Mr Swinney had dinner with the President who was flanked at the table at Trump MacLeod House & Lodge – named after Mr Trump's Scottish mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump – in the Menie estate alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Asked if the President pressed Mr Swinney to back new oil and gas licenses during the two-hour event, the First Minister said: 'He didn't. He didn't press me to do that. Trump had dinner with Keir Starmer and John Swinney on Monday evening (Jane Barlow/PA) 'He obviously expressed his view that there should be more oil and gas activity undertaken and I've seen material from the President this morning which raises issues about taxation, which of course, is not under my control. 'I don't have any influence over North Sea oil and gas taxation. 'Obviously the President made clear his view that he is not a supporter of wind turbines and I expressed the view that we have about our energy priorities on renewable energy.' Mr Trump landed in Prestwick on Friday on Air Force One before travelling to his golf course in Turnberry, South Ayrshire. On Monday, he and the Prime Minister were transported by Marine One to his golf course in Menie. He opened up The New Course there on Tuesday shortly before leaving for Washington. Mr Swinney had dinner with Mr Trump for around two hours where the First Minister made the case for exempting Scotch whisky from US tariffs, while a shorter discussion on Tuesday morning focused on what Mr Swinney said was the 'humanitarian catastrophe' in Gaza. During his trip – his first since 2023 and first since winning re-election – Mr Trump repeatedly referred to Aberdeen as 'the oil capital of Europe'. The US President campaigned on 'drill baby drill' during his election campaign last year. He has been outspoken in his dislike of 'windmills', having taken the Scottish Government to court over an offshore wind farm near his Aberdeenshire estate. Mr Trump said Scotland had the 'ugliest windmills I've ever seen', describing them as 'ugly monsters' that were 'destroying the beauty' of the country. Donald Trump has urged the UK to extract more oil from the North Sea (Andrew Milligan/PA) 'Wind is a disaster,' Mr Trump said. 'Wind is the most expensive form of energy. 'When we go to Aberdeen you'll see some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen. 'They're the height of a 50-storey building. 'You could take 1,000 times more energy from a hole in the ground. It's called oil and gas, and you have it in the North Sea. 'You are paying in Scotland, and the UK, and all over place, where they gave them massive subsidies to have these ugly monsters all over the place.'
Western Telegraph
8 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Funding golf tournament was not attempt to ‘butter up' Trump
The Government announced on Saturday that £180,000 of public money would be spent to bring the Nexo Championship to Scotland next month – just days before the First Minister met Mr Trump. Mr Swinney said he had 'courteous' talks with Mr Trump on Tuesday morning, ahead of the official opening of a second course in Aberdeenshire. The leaders discussed the situation in Gaza and tariffs on Scotch whisky, which Mr Swinney said the president appeared to be willing to move on. Speaking to the PA news agency, the First Minister said the tournament funding was not to curry favour with the president. Asked if it was an effort to 'butter up' Mr Trump, he said: 'No, I think what I was trying to do is to make sure that a tournament that was coming to Scotland could be properly promoted. 'It's coming here, we've essentially intervened to secure a tournament quite late in the day.' Mr Swinney added that the Government provides cash to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A) in St Andrews. 'If the principle is good enough for the R&A, it's good enough for Trump International,' he said. Asked about his relationship with Mr Trump following his first face-to-face meetings with the leader, Mr Swinney said there had been 'very good and courteous' conversations between the pair. 'I think we talked well about the issues that matter to the people of Scotland,' he said. Donald Trump was joined by his sons Donald Jnr, left, and Eric for the official opening of the New Course at Menie, Aberdeenshire (Jane Barlow/PA) 'He has a deep affinity with Scotland, so he's got a warmth and an empathy towards Scotland and he was interested in all the issues that I was raising about Scotland. 'So I think we had a very welcome opportunity to engage in dialogue and to build a relationship.' Asked if he believes that positive relationship will continue into the future, the First Minister said he does, adding the president ended the meeting by urging him to contact the US administration should he wish to raise any issues. 'I intend to take him up on that issue, because my job as First Minister of Scotland is to promote and protect the interests of the country and I can engage constructively with the president of the United States to do that,' Mr Swinney added. As well as a meeting early on Tuesday, the First Minister was also invited to a dinner on Monday evening at the Aberdeenshire club alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Over a meal of langoustines and beef, the First Minister had his first face-to-face meeting with the US president – having spoken over the phone after his election win last November.
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Britain set for minor boost as world economy growth forecast upgraded despite Trump tariffs
The world economy will grow faster than expected after the impact of Donald Trump 's tariff war waned and imports to the US surged, new projections show. Britain is in line for a small boost with the IMF upgrading its growth predictions by just 0.1 per cent for 2025. Growth is expected to sit at 1.2 per cent this year and 1.4 per cent for 2026, the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) latest World Economic Outlook forecasts. It came as the IMF said the global economy would be more resilient than it expected in May. Global growth is set to be 3 per cent this year and 3.1 per cent next year, up from 2.8 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. Like Britain, Germany and Italy have both had their growth upgraded by 0.1 per cent for 2025, and received no upgrade for 2026. Meanwhile, Canada was handed a marginally bigger upgrade of 0.2 per cent in 2025 and 0.3 per cent in 2026, taking its growth to 1.6 per cent in 2025 and 1.9 per cent in 2026. The world growth upgrade reflects what the IMF called front-loading in recent months, with countries rushing to ship goods to the US to get ahead of Mr Trump's tariffs. This has happened as businesses and households tried to prepare for planned increases to US tariff rates, following Mr Trump's "liberation day" announcements in April, according to the report. The IMF said front-loading had "shaped economic activity in the first half of the year", adding that it was "creating exposures that could amplify the impact of any potential negative shocks". For example, firms could end up having too much stock, therefore pushing down future imports, or it could lead to additional holding costs or the risk of items becoming obsolete. Meanwhile, the growth upgrade since April was also driven by US tariffs being lowered since higher rates were first announced by Mr Trump, alongside improved conditions in the financial markets. This came after the US struck new trade deals, including with the UK and, most recently, the EU. But the UK's growth rate flatlining while trade deals benefited other economies poses fresh questions for Rachel Reeves. The chancellor has been accused of stalling growth with her and Sir Keir Starmer 's economic doom and gloom after taking office last July and through October's tax-hiking Budget. She has a multi-billion pound black hole to fill ahead of this autumn's Budget and is considering a range of potential tax hikes and spending cuts to balance the country's books. The Conservatives said under Labour 'growth is going nowhere', adding that the IMF report confirms that. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: 'Business confidence has collapsed all because of the chancellor's reckless economic choices. "You can't tax your way to growth - we need to back British businesses and workers. "Yet Rachel Reeves looks set to do it all over again in the autumn - yet more taxes, yet more pain for our economy." But Ms Reeves said the forecast still forecasts the UK to have the highest growth in the G7. The chancellor said: 'I am determined to unlock Britain's full potential, which is why we are investing billions of pounds through our Plan for Change - in jobs through better city region transport, record funding for affordable homes, as well as backing major projects like Sizewell C to drive economic growth and put more money into people's pockets.' Countries also benefited via the introduction of some higher tariff rates while others were paused until August, notably between China and the US, helping diffuse escalating trade tensions and open the door to negotiations. However, the IMF warned that a "rebound in effective tariff rates could lead to weaker growth" and weigh on wider sentiment. "Elevated uncertainty could start weighing more heavily on activity, also as deadlines for additional tariffs expire without progress on substantial, permanent agreements," the report said. Furthermore, the IMF flagged conflict in the Middle East creating potential risks to global shipping and trade, which could further raise commodity prices like oil. On the other hand, the report found that global growth could be lifted if trade negotiations lead to lower tariffs, ease tensions, and create more certainty and predictability. The IMF also highlighted technological advancements, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI), as a way to further boost growth around the world.
