
Trump expected to hit the golf course on first day in Scotland
With a meeting scheduled with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer understood to be making the trip north on Monday, Mr Trump – a well-known golf enthusiast – appears to be free to play the vaunted Turnberry course on Saturday.
But elsewhere, Scots will be protesting against the visit.
The Stop Trump Coalition has announced demonstrations in Edinburgh – near the American consulate in the Scottish capital – and another in Aberdeen in the days before his visit there.
As he landed in Ayrshire on Friday, the president took questions from journalists, telling Europe to 'get your act together' on immigration, which he said was 'killing' the continent.
He also praised Sir Keir, who he described as a 'good man', who is 'slightly more liberal than I am'.
Saturday will be the first real test of Police Scotland during the visit as it looks to control the demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as well as any which spring up near to the president's course.
The force has asked for support from others around the UK to bolster officer numbers, with both organisations representing senior officers and the rank-and-file claiming there is likely to be an impact on policing across the country for the duration of the visit.
First Minister John Swinney – who is also set to meet with the president during his time in Scotland – has urged Scots to protest 'peacefully and within the law'.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

South Wales Argus
26 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
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.'


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
US consumer confidence improves slightly in July, but Americans remain concerned about tariffs
Americans' view of the U.S. economy improved this month, but Americans remain concerned about the impact of tariffs on their economic futures. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose two points to 97.2 in July, up from 95.2 the previous month. The increase in confidence was in line with analysts' forecasts. In April, American consumers' confidence in the economy sank to its lowest reading since May 2020, largely due to anxiety over the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs. A measure of Americans' short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market rose 4.5 points to 74.4, however that's still well below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead. Consumers' assessments of their current economic situation inched down by 1.5 points to 131.5.


The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
The Daily Show jokes that Trump is going after famous Black people in an effort to deflect interest away from Epstein
The Daily Show lambasted President Trump for using a series of targeted verbal attacks to distract attention from the Jeffrey Epstein debacle. 'Trump is going to target every exceptional Black person he can think of,' returning correspondent Jessica Williams said on Jon Stewart 's show Monday night while highlighting that in recent weeks, Trump has singled out Beyonce, Oprah, and former Vice President Kamala with threats. 'We're about a week away from him saying that Urkel did 9/11? Urkel! 'Did he do that?' No, Jon, no, he didn't. He was nowhere near the towers that day,' an Emmy-nominated star joked about the famous child actor who appeared on the '90s sitcom 'Family Matters.' Steve Urkel, a character played by Jaleel White, became associated with the catchphrase 'Did I do that?' which typically followed acts of clumsiness. Williams joked that Trump may even start going after other notorious Black celebrities, including Michael Jordan and Michael B. Jordan. 'He better watch his back. I'm scared for him,' she teased about an imaginary 'Michael C Jordan' on the topic. Williams, an actor and a comedian, formerly appeared as a series regular on the Nickelodeon series 'Just for Kicks' in 2006, before becoming The Daily Show 's youngest correspondent at 22 years old in 2012. Earlier in the show, Stewart spoke on the Epstein scandal after the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, met with Ghislaine Maxwell last week. The former socialite is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse underage girls. The talk show host then suggested that the president is trying to downplay his relationship with Epstein and any mishandling of the documents relating to the disgraced financier's case. During the show, Stewart showed a Truth Social post, where Trump lashed out at Beyoncé, Oprah, and former Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday, demanding that 'they should all be prosecuted!' for 'illegally endorsing' the Democrats in the 2024 presidential election. 'Kamala, and all of those that received endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW,' Trump wrote. Williams, who joined in at the end of the segment, called out the president's 'b*****t' before adding that she had 'had it with Trump.' 'He's got to come clean about Epstein,' she insisted. It was reported earlier this month that in May, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump that his name appeared in the files. The president has since filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal 's parent companies, News Corp and Dow Jones, following the newspaper's publication of the president's alleged birthday letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The president has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding his friendship with Epstein. On Sunday, Trump suggested that the Democrats are focused on conspiracy theories. He claimed that 'all they know how to do is talk and think about conspiracy theories and nonsense.' The president is currently on his final day of his visit to Scotland, where he told a reporter to scrap any ideas of his alleged involvement. "Oh, you gotta be kidding with that," Trump said. "No, had nothing to do with it. Only you would think that. That had nothing to do with it."