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First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
What is Donald Trump's connection to Scotland? His mum, golf and more
Donald Trump's visit to Scotland goes beyond golf — it's a return to his maternal roots on the Isle of Lewis. With new tributes to his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, and potential political meetings amid planned protests, how much of his identity is still tied to Scotland? read more Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Turnberry Golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, June 24, 2016. File Image/Reuters United States President Donald Trump will land in Scotland on Friday (July 25, 2025), marking his first visit to the United Kingdom since securing a second term in office. Officially designated a private trip by the White House, the president's itinerary includes stops at his two flagship golf resorts — Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen and the Turnberry estate in South Ayrshire. Despite its private nature, the visit reportedly includes scheduled meetings with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland's First Minister John Swinney. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump is expected to return for an official state visit to the UK in September. Preparations for his arrival have triggered logistical challenges and security concerns. Police Scotland, anticipating demonstrations similar to those during his previous visits, has requested backup from other UK law enforcement agencies. Large-scale protests were seen during Trump's 2018 tour, when thousands marched in Scottish cities, including Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow. On that occasion, protestors booed as he played golf at Turnberry, and a paraglider flew over the resort with an anti-Trump banner. Organisers of the group Stop Trump Scotland have called for renewed demonstrations during this year's visit. The structure of this visit allows Trump to freely choose his engagements, with his primary focus being his business interests in Scottish golf — a sector he has repeatedly highlighted as both legacy and enterprise. The US president's mother: Mary Anne MacLeod Trump Donald Trump's ancestral roots lie in the Outer Hebrides, a rugged chain of islands off the northwest coast of Scotland. His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in 1912 in the village of Tong, located just three miles from Stornoway, the Isle of Lewis's main town. She was the youngest of ten children in a Gaelic-speaking family. Her father, Malcolm MacLeod, managed a post office and a general store in Tong, offering the family modest stability during difficult times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Although they were slightly more affluent than some local households, life on the island during and after World War I was marked by scarcity and tragedy. Lewis had suffered grievous losses in the conflict, including the Iolaire disaster of 1919, in which approximately 200 servicemen returning from war perished in the harbour at Stornoway. Amid post-war hardship and limited economic opportunity, many islanders sought new lives abroad. Mary Anne joined that wave of migration in 1930 at age 18, leaving with her sister Catherine, who had already emigrated and returned to visit. Upon reaching New York, Mary Anne initially found work as a nanny in an affluent household but lost the job as the US economy collapsed following the Wall Street Crash. Mary Anne MacLeod Trump died in 2000 at the age of 88. Members of her extended family still live on Lewis. File Image She briefly returned to Scotland in 1934 but soon went back to the US, having met and begun a relationship with Fred Trump, a successful real estate developer and the son of German immigrants. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD They married in 1936, settled in Queens, New York, and Mary Anne became a US citizen in 1942. She passed away in August 2000 at the age of 88. Donald Trump is the fourth of their five children. Though he was raised in New York, his mother's homeland remained close to him. 'My mother was born in Scotland — Stornoway, which is serious Scotland,' he said in 2017. Mary Anne maintained strong ties to her birthplace, regularly visiting Lewis throughout her life. According to BBC, she remained fluent in Gaelic and was well-regarded in her hometown community. During visits, she attended the local church and maintained connections with her extended family. To this day, three of Donald Trump's cousins continue to live on Lewis, including two who now reside in the house where Mary Anne was born. The original structure has since been rebuilt, but the familial bond remains. These relatives have consistently declined all media interviews and have stayed out of the public eye. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The house where Donald Trump's mother grew up is seen in Tong on the Isle of Lewis and Harris, an island off the northwestern tip of Scotland in the Outer Hebrides, Scorland, April 27, 2016. File Image/Reuters Trump himself has made only two known visits to his mother's home village. In 2008, he visited the family home in Tong as an adult and said he had also visited once as a small child, though he remembered little. His 2008 stopover was brief — he reportedly spent just 97 seconds in the ancestral house. Are Trump's Scottish golf ventures about legacy? Trump's commercial footprint in Scotland centres around two major properties: Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire and Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire. The Aberdeenshire venture began in 2006 when Trump acquired a coastal tract north of Aberdeen with the aim of developing a world-class golf destination. The project faced strong local resistance from conservationists and residents concerned about the ecological impact. The site included sand dunes that were home to rare wildlife such as badgers, otters, kittiwakes and skylarks. The controversy attracted global attention. US property mogul Donald Trump leads a media event on the sand dunes of the Menie estate, the site for Trump's proposed golf resort, near Aberdeen, north east Scotland, May 27, 2010. File Image/Reuters Michael Forbes, a local fisherman, became a symbol of resistance after he refused to sell his land to Trump, despite a lucrative offer of £350,000. Trump was publicly critical of Forbes's property, describing it as 'a slum and a pigsty,' reported AP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Despite the opposition, the Scottish government backed the plan, and the Trump International Golf Links officially opened in 2012. Nevertheless, some of the project's most ambitious elements — including plans for 500 homes and a 450-room hotel — have not materialised. Financially, the resort has struggled. In 2023, the latest available accounts reported a loss of £1.4 million. 'If it weren't for my mother, would I have walked away from this site? I think probably I would have, yes,' Trump remarked during the development phase. 'Possibly, had my mother not been born in Scotland, I probably wouldn't have started it.' This year, a second 18-hole course at the site is set to open. Named the MacLeod Course in tribute to Mary Anne, the launch is expected to coincide with Trump's visit. The adjacent hotel is also named after her — the Trump MacLeod House and Lodge Hotel. Turnberry, Trump's other high-profile property, is a much older and more established venue. He purchased the resort, including its three coastal golf courses and a five-star hotel, in 2014 for approximately £40 million. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Turnberry is widely known for hosting The Open Championship, though the tournament has not returned to the course since 2009. US President Donald Trump gestures as he walks on the course of his golf resort, in Turnberry, Scotland, July 14, 2018. File Image/Reuters Local sentiment in Ayrshire has been more favourable compared to the Aberdeenshire project. 'He did bring employment to the area,' Louise Robertson, a Turnberry-area resident told AP. 'I know that in terms of the hotel and the lighthouse, he spent a lot of money restoring it, so again, that was welcomed by the local people. But other than that, I can't really say positive things about it.' Trump has pushed for The Open to return to Turnberry. However, the tournament's organisers have cited ongoing issues related to transportation and accommodation infrastructure as obstacles. How Trump's political ties with Scotland have evolved Trump's relationship with Scottish officials has evolved over the years — from honourary recognition to outright rejection. More than a decade ago, he was named a business ambassador in the GlobalScot network. However, that status was revoked in 2015 following his controversial comments about banning Muslims from entering the United States. Around the same time, Robert Gordon University withdrew an honourary doctorate it had awarded him in 2010. In the next few days, Trump is set to meet with John Swinney, Scotland's First Minister, who had supported Kamala Harris during the previous US election cycle. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A placard is attached to a stake in the ground during a protest against the visit of US President Donald Trump, in Edinburgh, Scotland, July 14, 2018. File Image/Reuters A spokesperson for Trump's business interests in Scotland called Swinney's earlier endorsement 'an insult.' Nonetheless, Swinney has confirmed the meeting, saying it serves 'Scotland's interest.' Trump will also confer with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with whom he reportedly enjoys a constructive rapport. Despite ideological differences, Trump recently said, 'I really like the prime minister a lot, even though he's a liberal.' Trade discussions are expected to include a focus on securing exemptions for UK steel from American tariffs. There is no confirmation as to whether Trump and Starmer will visit either golf course together. Starmer is not known to be a golfer. Ironically, Trump's Scottish story is one of immigration. With inputs from agencies
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Trump takes a break from world affairs to tee-up his Scottish golf courses
Donald Trump flies into Scotland later to visit two golf resorts which he owns in the country where his mother was will travel to Turnberry in South Ayrshire, a world class venue he bought in 2014, and to Menie in Aberdeenshire to open a new 18-hole course. The White House says Trump will also meet prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to discuss trade while he is in the trip is exceptional as US presidents rarely promote their personal interests so publicly while in is not the first time that Trump has been accused of conflating his own affairs with the nation's. Even so, with Gaza and Ukraine in flames, the dollar on the slide, and questions mounting about his ties to convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, Trump's decision to focus on golf has raised eyebrows. I witnessed Trump's unconventional attitude first hand, right at the start of his political career, when I met him on the campaign trail in 2015 as the Republicans searched for a candidate who could win back the presidency after Barack Obama's two terms in strode off the debate stage in a glitzy Las Vegas hotel and into a room packed with for position, I asked the man with the long red tie a couple of questions and, after boasting about his status as frontrunner in the race, he told me he had a message for the will make news, I thought. Maybe something about immigration, Trump's signature campaign topic?It was not. Instead Trump wanted BBC viewers to know that he had some fine golf courses on Scotland's shores which they should answer struck me as remarkable for a man aspiring to become the so-called leader of the free world. Of course Trump does have a genuine link to Gaelic-speaking mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in 1912 on the island of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides and left during the Great Depression for New York where she married property developer Fred son's return to Scotland for four days this summer comes ahead of an official state visit in September when the president and First Lady Melania Trump will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in is not scheduled to see the King on this visit but it is not entirely private either, as he will meet Scotland's First Minister John Swinney as well as the prime leaders, including Scotch whisky producers, are urging Starmer and Swinney to use their meetings with Trump to lobby for a reduction in US taxes on imports, known as tariffs. A huge security operation, which has been under way for weeks, has been scaled up in recent transport aircraft carrying military hardware, including the president's helicopters, known when he is on board by the call sign Marine One, have been spotted at Aberdeen and Prestwick and lanes in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire have been secured and closed. Airspace restrictions have been issued. Police reinforcements have been heading north across the England-Scotland to Scotland by sitting US presidents are rare. Queen Elizabeth hosted Dwight D Eisenhower at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire in 1957; George W Bush travelled to Gleneagles in Perthshire for a G8 summit in 2005; and Joe Biden attended a climate conference in Glasgow in only other serving president to visit this century is Trump himself in 2018 when he was met by protesters including one flying a paraglider low over Turnberry, breaching the air exclusion zone around the resort. Even by the standards of Donald Trump the years since have been he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, a mob of Trump supporters responded to their leader's false claims of electoral fraud by mounting a violent assault on the US Capitol. Four years later Trump staged a stunning political comeback and since returning to the White House he has survived at least one assassination attempt while a man has been charged with another. Amid this turmoil, security surrounding Trump is supposedly tighter than US Secret Service, much criticised for failures which nearly cost the president his life, remains primarily responsible for his safety but concerns have been raised about the impact of his visit on Police Scotland's officers and budget, with one former senior officer estimating the policing cost at more than £ to the pressure which the police are under to secure his resorts, large anti-Trump demonstrations are expected to be held in Aberdeen and Scotland insists it has the resources it needs to deal with the visit. While polls suggest Trump is deeply unpopular in the UK, he may actually find some sympathy in Aberdeen, a city which he and many others call "the oil capital of Europe".He has stirred the heated debate about the nature and pace of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, telling BBC News last week that Aberdeen, which has prospered for decades from North Sea drilling, "should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil." The environmental campaign group Uplift says Trump's claim that the North Sea can still provide the UK with a secure energy supply "runs counter to reality."Trump's pro-oil message echoes the rhetoric of Reform UK, the right-wing party led by Trump fan Nigel Farage which made progress in a recent Scottish by-election and hopes to go one step further by winning seats for the first time in next year's Scottish parliamentary Scottish Parliament, known as Holyrood after its location at the foot of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, runs much of Scotland's domestic affairs, such as health, education and some taxation and benefits, while the UK parliament in London retains control of defence, foreign affairs and wider economic policy. Trump's support for the oil industry is well known but his hatred of wind turbines appears to run even deeper. In 2012 he told me that building a wind farm off the coast of his golf course at Menie would be a "terrible error" that would "destroy Scotland."The encounter was a strange first, Trump's aides told us he was so affronted by the difficult questions he had been asked by Rona Dougall of STV News earlier that morning that he had changed his mind about speaking to the waited anyway in the rain, for hours. Eventually the man himself emerged. After some verbal sparring he offered us burgers from a barbecue before backing down and agreeing to be asked by a committee of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to provide evidence to back up his claim that Scottish tourism would be ruined by wind turbines, Trump famously replied: "I am the evidence." The wind farm was built anyway and is now clearly visible from the course. It is not the only battle Trump has fought against a backdrop of shifting sand dunes and whispering grasses at Menie where he has repeatedly clashed with local residents, politicians and environmentalists for a variety of reasons. His other course at Turnberry is not controversial itself but it is the stage for a tussle with the golfing authorities because Trump appears to be infuriated by the refusal of the game's governing body, the R&A, to stage the prestigious Open Championship there, citing logistical is home to three golf courses, said to be the most expensive to play in the UK, and the Open has been held there four times but never since Trump purchased it in 2014. It is another striking example of how, a decade after mounting what was essentially a hostile takeover of the US Republican Party, the man who has been both the 45th and 47th president of the US has still not entirely swapped business for is the most powerful man in the Western world and yet Donald Trump is still irked at being snubbed, still hankering for status, still angry about a golfing deal he has, so far at least, failed to close.
The National
6 days ago
- Business
- The National
New holiday home tax proposed to protect Gaelic language
Increased taxes for holiday homes and Airbnb-style short term lets have been put forward by the Scottish Greens as a way of tackling the housing crisis in Gaelic communities, as well as supporting young people who wish to stay in the areas they have grown up in. Ross Greer, the party's finance spokesperson intends to force a vote on the proposed taxes when Holyrood considers amendments to the Housing Bill this autumn. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar urged to break silence on Labour's 'nuclear tax' for Scots The amendments would allow ministers to apply a 'special' surcharge on those purchasing holiday homes or other additional properties in areas with high levels of Gaelic speakers, including Skye and the Outer Hebrides. Commenting, Greer said: 'Gaelic is an essential part of Scottish culture and national identity, but it is on the verge of extinction as a living language. 'We need to take bold action immediately, or the decline will be impossible to reverse. The Languages Act is a good starting point, but we know that one of the biggest threats to the language is the housing crisis in areas like Skye.' His proposals follow the passing of the Scottish Languages Bill, which allows for communities where Gaelic is widely spoken to be designated as 'areas of linguistic significance'. Additional charges on holiday home purchases would apply in areas with this designation, including Skye, where average house prices are around £60,000 higher than the national average. A local councillor reportedly estimated that almost 60% of properties in the area were either holiday homes or short term lets, forcing young people off the island and putting the survival of Gaelic as a community language at risk. A lack of affordable housing is often cited as one of the main factors in Gaelic being on the verge of extinction in historical Scottish communities. 'Young Gaelic speakers are being forced out of the last communities where it is still the spoken language because holiday homes and Airbnb-style short term lets have driven up house prices to levels they cannot hope to compete with', Greer continued. READ MORE: Consultation launched on new Jeremy Corbyn party 'As a result, they are forced to move to areas where they cannot use Gaelic in their everyday interactions. This is one of the biggest threats to Gaelic's continued existence. 'My proposals would make it harder for wealthier people to buy up second homes and short-term lets in Gaelic-speaking communities and in turn make it easier for locals, especially first-time buyers, to secure their own home." Greer added: 'Changes to council tax already delivered by Scottish Green MSPs reduced the number of second and holiday homes across Scotland by 2500 last year, freeing up more properties for people who need a home to live in. 'We can build on this success with further targeted actions and ensure that our Gaelic-speaking communities can thrive rather than be treated purely as holiday parks for tourists and the super-rich.'
The National
6 days ago
- Business
- The National
Greens propose holiday home taxes to protect Gaelic language
Increased taxes for holiday homes and Airbnb-style short term lets have been designed to tackle the housing crisis in Gaelic communities, as well as supporting young people who wish to stay in the areas they have grown up in. Ross Greer, the finance spokesperson for the party, intends to force a vote on the proposed taxes when Holyrood considers amendments to the Housing Bill this autumn. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar urged to break silence on Labour's 'nuclear tax' for Scots The amendments would allow ministers to apply a 'special' surcharge on those purchasing holiday homes or other additional properties in areas with high levels of Gaelic speakers, including Skye and the Outer Hebrides. Greer said: 'Gaelic is an essential part of Scottish culture and national identity, but it is on the verge of extinction as a living language. 'We need to take bold action immediately, or the decline will be impossible to reverse. The Languages Act is a good starting point, but we know that one of the biggest threats to the language is the housing crisis in areas like Skye.' His proposals follow the passing of the Scottish Languages Bill, which allows for communities where Gaelic is widely spoken to be designated as 'areas of linguistic significance'. Additional charges on holiday home purchases would apply in areas with this designation, including Skye, where average house prices are around £60,000 higher than the national average. A local councillor reportedly estimated that almost 60% of properties in the area were either holiday homes or short term lets, forcing young people off the island and putting the survival of Gaelic as a community language at risk. A lack of affordable housing is often cited as one of the main factors in Gaelic being on the verge of extinction in historical Scottish communities. 'Young Gaelic speakers are being forced out of the last communities where it is still the spoken language because holiday homes and Airbnb-style short term lets have driven up house prices to levels they cannot hope to compete with', Greer continued. READ MORE: Consultation launched on new Jeremy Corbyn party 'As a result, they are forced to move to areas where they cannot use Gaelic in their everyday interactions. This is one of the biggest threats to Gaelic's continued existence. 'My proposals would make it harder for wealthier people to buy up second homes and short-term lets in Gaelic-speaking communities and in turn make it easier for locals, especially first-time buyers, to secure their own home. 'Changes to council tax already delivered by Scottish Green MSPs reduced the number of second and holiday homes across Scotland by 2,500 last year, freeing up more properties for people who need a home to live in. 'We can build on this success with further targeted actions and ensure that our Gaelic-speaking communities can thrive rather than be treated purely as holiday parks for tourists and the super-rich.'
The National
07-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Work to start on £8 million Gaelic cultural centre on Skye
Work is due to start in the following weeks on the new centre – Ionad Thròndairnis (Trotternish Centre) – which will be built at Flodigarry in Staffin on the North-east peninsula of Skye. The centre will include a large function hall, classrooms for language, music and heritage education, and a significant library and digital archive, with the hopes of creating 10 full-time jobs. The Trotternish Centre will also include a cafe-restaurant and a scalable development of quality accommodation to serve not only the users of the centre, but also address the 'chronic shortage' of bed spaces in Skye. READ MORE: Copper cables worth 'tens of thousands of pounds' stolen from 2 wind farms The Staffin area of Trotternish is an internationally acclaimed site for dinosaur footprints and is also popular with Hollywood, with Ridley Scott's Prometheus and Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender, shooting in the area. However, for the island locals, Trotternish's greatest claim to fame is its success in maintaining a Gaelic-speaking community, with those involved with the centre hoping it will continue to preserve the language amongst Skye's residents. Margaret Nicolson, chair of Ionad Thròndairnis (The Trotternish Trust), said the centre will be a great boost for the Gaelic community. She said: 'Gaelic is still alive as a community language in this area. I can speak Gaelic to many people, every day, in the shops and in the community. 'There are people moving into the community and – although they don't speak it themselves – very often they will send their children to the Gaelic-medium schools, and so I can speak Gaelic to those children. 'This is still a Gaelic community, and the new centre will be a great boost for the language.' Nicolson added: 'It will give the Gaelic community confidence in their language and culture. 'For visitors and new residents, it will also provide a gateway to the language and the culture, boosting their interest, offering a great opportunity to learn the language or at least explore and enjoy the culture.' (Image: The Trotternish Trust) The Trotternish Trust, which is leading the project, believes that the centre will play a vital role in keeping Scotland's language heritage thriving. 'The new Ionad Thròndairnis will provide a great economic boost,' Nicolson added. 'It will provide around ten new full-time jobs, which is very big in rural Skye, and further seasonal and part-time jobs.' She continued: 'And, as a community-run trust, money will stay in the community.' Although funding has not been fully committed, the trust believes the new centre will fit directly into Government policy, which could see the area designated an Area of Linguistic Significance, with plans for it to be operational by 2028. Linsay Chalmers, director of communities and operations at Community Land Scotland, the lead organisation representing community landowners across Scotland, added: 'This is a great project born of a lot of hard work by a lot of people from the community. "Supporting the rich Gaelic language and culture has always been a central part of our work with community groups. We all know the language adds significantly to the health of the communities where it is still used. 'A place like Trotternish is one of the Gaelic heartlands and it is fantastic that the community has taken the initiative to support and strengthen the language and in turn strengthen the economic and social wellbeing of the north Skye.'
