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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Why did Trump's stance on Epstein shift during his Scotland visit?
Donald Trump began his trip to Scotland sharply refusing to answer 'inappropriate' questions about the Jeffrey Epstein case that loomed over his trip. But less than 48 hours later, he ended up divulging shocking new details about the convicted trafficker and their personal falling out. And by the end of the five-day Scotland swing the president had cracked open more secrets about his relationship with Epstein that he never discussed before. Trump arrived over the weekend in Scotland, the beloved land close to his heart where his mother was born, for a trip to his historic golf clubs culminating in a grand opening for his New Course in Aberdeen. The course has been affectionately dubbed MacLeod for his mother, who grew up in the outer Hebrides then emigrated to the U.S. as a young woman. She moved to New York and met Trump's father Fred, becoming a city socialite. But Epstein's exploits hung like storm clouds over the president's trip as the most fervent media story of the week continued to gain strength. The Wall Street Journal had published a story on a 'bawdy' drawing Trump allegedly wrote for Epstein in 2003 - which he fervently denied and sued the publication for $10 billion. And his own Attorney General Pam Bondi was weathering a storm after it was reported she informed Trump his name was included in the Epstein files before promptly deciding to keep the rest of the documents hidden from the public. Trump at first brushed off a first slew of Epstein questions as he traveled over from D.C. to the UK on Friday morning. He denied ever being briefed by Bondi that his name was in Epstein files, insisting 'no, I was never briefed.' And he also refused to rule out invoking his presidential pardon powers for Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell when asked. 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I haven't thought about,' he said, sparking amazed reaction from the political class. But two days later, a more relaxed and confident Trump was seen heading into his high-stakes meeting with another world leader - UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Trump had just clutched the 'biggest of them all' trade deals with the European Union hours before. Riding high having pocketed an international win, his mood lifted. Surrounded by family at the club he hadn't visited in years, including sons Don Jr., Eric, their significant others, and a slew of grandkids, Trump spent the weekend golfing. He was even in a position to make a play for bagging one of the world's premier golf tournaments. This daytime pleasure evidently lowered the president's temperature and set the stage for Trump to re-engage on the topic that has rattled his administration in recent weeks. On Monday, Trump staged a warm welcome for Prime Minister Kier Starmer outside the entrance to his Turnberry club. Their chat was almost impossible to hear over a bagpiper, but both men remarked on the 'beautiful' view of the coast. Once inside, the flattery was more audible. Starmer primed the president by calling him a 'big investor in this area.' 'To put it mildly,' Trump responded - 'Like, this ballroom' – he lauded the ornate facility he had built from scratch and wants to reproduce at the White House. The room had a plush patterned curtains, sconces and draperies and ceiling-high views of the links – providing a preview of the luxurious state visit Trump is girding for with King Charles in September. Trump, 79, didn't golf Monday, but he looked to be at the top of his game after two successful days on the links – boasting about his swing by posting a video clip, and nailing a putt in another shared by his MAGA fans. (A caddy appeared to drop a ball for Trump on the fairway in yet another golf clip that went viral). It teed up a more relaxed Trump to talk – which is what he did, at length. For days, Trump had been trying to contain the Epstein story, admonishing reporters who asked about it, even as his former lawyer Todd Blanche, the Number Two DOJ official, sat for two days of interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell. 'Oh, you gotta be kidding about that,' Trump told scolded one scribe who asked about Epstein on Sunday while Trump was announcing a trade deal. 'No, I had nothing to do with it. Only you would make that – had nothing to do with it,' he chided. On Monday, when the Daily Mail first broached the subject at a press event that had touched on trade, Russia, Gaza, and golf, he showed no signs of irritation. Asked why he hadn't ruled out pardoning Maxwell, who is serving time for assisting Epstein as he recruited underage women, Trump responded that 'I'm allowed to give her a pardon.' 'Nobody's approached me with it. Nobody's asked me about it,' Trump said, quickly moving on. Later, another reporter asked Trump how he could say he was not included in the Epstein files at DOJ even though his attorney general would need to tell him if his name was included. That got Trump on one of his tirades, and elicited a glassy glare from senior aide Stephen Miller, seated nearby. 'It's a hoax, that's been built up way beyond proportion,' Trump said. Trump was back in fighter mode. 'I can say this: those files were run by the worst scum on earth. They were run by Comey. They were run by Garland. They were run by Biden and all of the people that actually ran the government,' he said. Those were some of the same figures Trump accused of taking part in a different hoax, skewing information about Russia during the 2016 elections to manufacture a claim that he was Moscow's preferred candidate in the election. He had already been going for more than an hour, but kept talking. He once again denied drawing an alleged lewd sketch as part of a birthday book for Epstein, as described in a bombshell Wall Street Journal report, asserting he 'not a drawing person.' Then he layered in a new argument. He was in a 'very high position' at the time and it wouldn't make sense for him to do such a thing for Epstein. The president's most revealing answer came when the Daily Mail asked about an often-told incident about the time he cast Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago club, and how the breach between the two former friends had occurred. The break is central to Trump's case that he had become estranged from Epstein. He said in 2019 when Epstein was facing criminal charges that they hadn't spoken in 15 years. 'But for years I wouldn't talk to Jeffrey Epstein. I wouldn't talk to him. Because he did something that was inappropriate. He hired help. And I said: 'Don't ever do that again,' Trump said. 'He stole people that worked for me. I said 'Don't ever do that again.' He did it again. And I threw him out of the place – persona non grata . I threw him out and that was it,' Trump said. 'Glad I did if, you want to know the truth.' Trump didn't say exactly what it is that Epstein did, and if there was any more to the conduct than mere poaching. Communications Director Stephen Chung said last week that 'the fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep,' setting up a contradiction in explanations. Trump didn't divulge precisely when the spat happened or why is it that he was so adamant he did not want his staff members leaving to join Epstein, who was then a wealthy figure on the Palm Beach social scene. Trump tried to deflect by pointing to prominent Democrats who showed up in the logs of Epstein's infamous 'Lolita express,' but unleashed a jarring answer phrased his reasoning this way. 'I never had the privilege of going to his island, and I did turn it down,' Trump said. 'But a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island. In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn't want to go to his island,' he said. And on his return trip back to the U.S., Trump revealed even more details about exactly who Epstein 'poached' from his staff, nudging the story into a new cycle. He said Epstein 'stole' Virginia Giuffre (pictured) and several other young female workers at Mar-a-Lago's spa, leading to their falling out. 'She worked at the spa,' Trump noted of Giuffre. 'People were taken out of the spa hired by him.' He said he instructed Epstein he didn't want him taking his people. When Epstein did it again, Trump said he booted him for good. Left unsaid was whether he knew about any 'creepy' Epstein behavior on his own premises. Giuffre said she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell to Epstein's ring in 2000, when she was 16 years old and working as a locker room attendant at the spa at Mar-a-Lago. Before her death earlier this year, Giuffre was one of the most prominent and vocal accusers of Epstein and Maxwell. None of Trump's efforts to date, from soft-pedalling to media clap-backs, to his lengthy explanations, have managed to tamp down the story. And now Trump's own lawyers are fanning it as they build their case. On Monday, they moved to quickly depose Rupert Murdoch in Trump's $20 billion lawsuit after a bombshell Wall Street Journal report that Trump drew a lewd picture for an Epstein birthday book. They said Murdoch, 94, 'is believed to have suffered recent significant health scares' and suggested he might not be around to deliver in-person testimony later in a trial. With Trump back on U.S. soil, the questions surrounding Epstein and Maxwell aren't going anywhere. It may require a trip to a stateside golf course.
New Straits Times
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Scotland awaits famous son as Trump visits mother's homeland
LONDON: Donald Trump will fly into Scotland on Friday for a private visit to the land where his mother was born and spent her childhood on the remote Isle of Lewis. "It's great to be home, this was the home of my mother," he said when he arrived on his last visit in 2023. Born Mary Anne MacLeod, Trump's mum emigrated to the United States when she was 18. She then met and married Fred Trump, kickstarting the family's meteoric rise that has led their son, Donald, all the way to the White House. During his visit the current US president, who is six months into his second term, plans to officially open his latest golf course in northeastern Aberdeen – making him the owner of three such links in Scotland. Although Donald Trump has talked openly about his father Fred – a self-made millionaire and property developer whose own father emigrated from Germany – he remains more discreet about his mother, who died in 2000 at the age of 88. She was born in 1912 on Lewis, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides in northwest Scotland, and grew up in the small town of Tong. Trump visited the humble family home in 2008, pausing for a photo in front of the two-storey house. He has cousins who still live in the house, which has been modernised since Mary Anne MacLeod's time but remains modest, standing just around 200 metres (650 feet) from the sea. Its slate roof and grey walls are a world away from Trump's luxury Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, or his gold-adorned apartment in Trump Tower, New York. According to the British press, which based its reports on local documents, Trump's grandfather was a fisherman. MacLeod was the 10th and last child of the family, and her first language was Gaelic before she learnt English at school. Life was tough on Lewis after World War I, which claimed the lives of many of the island's young men. Following in the footsteps of her older sister, and so many other Scots over the decades, she decided to emigrate to the United States. MacLeod boarded the SS Transylvania from Glasgow in 1930, bound for New York. On her immigration papers she wrote she was a "domestic" when asked about her profession. One of Trump's sisters recalled that MacLeod had worked as a nanny in a wealthy family. But a few years later her life turned around when she reportedly met Fred Trump at an evening dance. They were married in 1936 in Manhattan's wealthy Upper East Side, and MacLeod became a US citizen in 1942. As Fred Trump built and expanded his property empire in the city by constructing middle-class homes in districts such as Queens and Brooklyn, Mary Anne devoted herself to charitable works. "Even in old age, rich and respected and with her hair arranged in a dynamic orange swirl, she would drive a rose-coloured Rolls-Royce to collect coins from laundry machines in apartment blocks that belonged to the Trumps," the Times wrote this month. Photos of her hobnobbing with New York high society show her with her blonde hair swept up in a bun, reminiscent of her son's distinctive side-swept coiffure. She was "a great beauty", Donald Trump has gushed in one of his rare comments about his mother, adding she was also "one of the most honest and charitable people I have ever known." And on X he has pointed to "great advice from my mother: 'Trust in God and be true to yourself'." In 2018 then-British prime minister Theresa May presented Trump with his family tree tracing his Scottish ancestors. Less than 20,000 people live on Lewis, and MacLeod is a common surname. Residents tell how Mary Anne MacLeod regularly returned to her roots until her death, while one of the president's sisters won over the locals by making a large donation to a retirement home. But Donald Trump has not impressed everyone in Scotland, and protests against his visit are planned on Saturday in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Earlier this year in April a banner fluttered from a shop in the port of Stornoway, the island's largest town. "Shame on you Donald John," it proclaimed. Local authorities have asked for the banner to be taken down, but it is due to tour the island this summer with residents invited to sign it.
The Sun
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Trump visits Scotland to honor mother's roots amid golf course opening
SCOTLAND: US President Donald Trump is set to visit Scotland this week, returning to the land where his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born and raised. The trip marks a personal journey for Trump, who has often spoken fondly of his Scottish heritage. 'It's great to be home, this was the home of my mother,' Trump said during his last visit in 2023. Born in 1912 on the Isle of Lewis, MacLeod emigrated to the US at 18, later marrying Fred Trump and helping establish the family's real estate empire. Trump will officially open his newest golf course in Aberdeen, adding to his existing Scottish properties. The visit also highlights his mother's humble beginnings in Tong, a small town where the family home still stands just 200 metres from the sea. MacLeod, the youngest of 10 children, grew up speaking Gaelic before learning English. Life on Lewis was difficult post-World War I, prompting her to follow her sister's footsteps to America in 1930. She worked as a domestic helper before meeting Fred Trump at a dance, marrying him in 1936. Despite her later wealth, MacLeod remained connected to her roots, frequently visiting Lewis until her death in 2000. Trump has described her as 'a great beauty' and 'one of the most honest and charitable people I have ever known.' However, not all Scots welcome Trump's visit. Protests are planned in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with some locals displaying banners criticizing him. A Stornoway shop recently hung a sign reading, 'Shame on you Donald John,' which authorities have asked to be removed. The trip underscores Trump's deep ties to Scotland, even as his presence remains divisive. - AFP
Hamilton Spectator
19-07-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
‘An address of distinction': This $4-million detached Annex home blends classic design with modern comfort
Listing price: $4,095,000 Neighbourhood: Toronto Annex Size: 3,000 to 3,500 square feet / 30 x 120 feet (lot size) X-factor: A detached home in downtown Toronto with plenty of parking, this property has potential for renovation in one of the city's most competitive neighbourhoods. Real estate agent Gay MacLeod said 40 Admiral Rd . has received favourable attention since it hit the market on July 3. 'The elegance of the home and the location of the home are what makes it very special,' she said. Aside from the basement with a separate entrance, heated driveway and detached four-car garage, this property offers a generous five bedrooms and five bathrooms in the heart of the Annex. Before heading through the front door, the character of the house can be seen in the hand-made railings leading up the front steps. 'There's also some interesting art work done by a previous owner who was a sculptor. As you come up onto the front porch of the house, there's a metal a bird and branches,' MacLeod said. The handcrafted front railing, leading up to the front door of 40 Admiral Road. Walking through the front door, you are immediately greeted with a oak wood floors and wainscotting original to the 1922 home. The front door of the home, carrying through the original oak wood. The staircase leading up to the second and third floor, located near the front door. Moving beyond the entry, a door leading to the rest of the home is adorned with unique stained glass. 'The stained glass windows are original to the house in 1922 and they're all hand done, original glass,' MacLeod said. A second entryway leading into the home, with an original stained glass 1920s window. MacLeod said previous owners did renovations about 10 years ago, adding modern flair to the home's early twentieth-century charm. The front-most living room comes equipped with a gas fireplace, with an electric fireplace in the adjacent formal dining room. The main living room at the front of the home, fit with a gas fireplace. The home's dining room, with an electric fireplace on the right. Moving through the home we reach the chef's island kitchen next, where new renovations and updated appliances are apparent. Next to the kitchen is a breakfast room, awash with light streaming through the French doors leading to the back porch. The home's chef's island kitchen, fit with updated appliances. The home's small breakfast nook, just off of the kitchen. While the home has five bedrooms, MacLeod explained that three office-like rooms could be deemed unofficial bedrooms if needed. There are also four bathrooms in the home, with one powder room on the main floor. A second smaller bedroom. A third smaller bedroom. A fourth bedroom. The powder room located on the main floor of the property. 'There's a staircase off the breakfast room that goes up to the sunroom, which is off the primary bedroom, and there's the main staircase that goes up to the landing and then up to the third floor as well,' MacLeod explained. A sun room, located on the second floor outside the main bedroom. A washer and dryer on the second floor of the home. The main bedroom features a large walk-in closet, ensuite and a bedroom-like space currently being used as a second living room. 'They've each got their own walk in closets and ensuite baths, so they're definitely bedrooms, but you would want to perhaps close off those French doors and put a solid wall there,' MacLeod said. The main bedroom on the second floor, with French doors to the second living room and a walk-in closet pictured on the right. The main bedroom's on-suite bathroom, with a free-standing tub and glass shower. A second living room located on the second floor. Fit with a closet an on-suite Macleod believes this could be converted into a bedroom. The basement holds two rooms and a living space with another fireplace. 'There's actually two bedrooms [in the basement] because each of the rooms have closets. One has an ensuite bath. It is totally new. And the other one maybe could be more storage, because it doesn't have a window,' MacLeod said. She explained that there is another washer and dryer in a utility room in the basement. Another bedroom in the basement of the home. Another room in the basement. Macleod says it could be used as a bedroom since it has it's own closet, but also fits a storage room as there are no windows. The basement living space, with another fireplace. Exiting the back door you'll find a large detached garage, equipped with a lift, and a small back porch. 'After the property was purchased in, I think, 1990 and the the owner wanted to have parking for four cars, so there's two cars in the garage, and then there's two car parking in the in the driveway, in front of the garage,' MacLeod said. The back of 40 Admiral Road, the paved driveway leading to the garage. The detached garage behind the home, fit with a lift. A small back porch at the property, facing towards the garage. What's in the neighbourhood? 'It's a prime Yorkville area. It's probably one of the most iconic and sought after streets in Toronto, there's art galleries, shops, restaurants, the TTC, the subway is right there,' MacLeod said. The property is walking distance from Bloor Street, and the neighbourhood is filled with young families and a vibrant community, she said. Will it sell for it's listing price? MacLeod is confident the property will sell. 'Certainly the the area is in demand, and it's a matter of finding a buyer that is looking in this price range that you know would like to do some updating to the property. And also, maybe coming up from a smaller home and need some more room,' she said. She said she doesn't see a property like this going back onto the market anytime soon.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Victoria, Saanich to work on amalgation question for next municipal election
The municipalities of Victoria and Saanich have taken steps towards amalgamation this week, with councillors in the capital city directing staff to work with Saanich staff to put together a short question that would be added to the ballot in the October 2026 local elections. The motion at Victoria city council Thursday morning, which included receiving the report from a citizens' assembly that recommended amalgamation after eight months of deliberation, passed unanimously after more than two hours of discussion. Earlier this week, councillors with the District of Saanich also discussed the report at length, with several of them expressing their support. Peter MacLeod, chair of the assembly on behalf of Toronto-based consultancy MASS SBP, said the members of the group were happy with the results. "I think the members are delighted," MacLeod told CBC News shortly after the meeting. "[They] were very pleased and gratified that both councils took their recommendations seriously." Saanich and Victoria are the two most populous municipalities on southern Vancouver Island, with populations of 117,735 and 91,867, respectively, according to 2021 census numbers from Statistics Canada. While they share some regional services, they are governed separately, with separate mayors and councils, separate police forces, and more. Years in the making If citizens vote in favour of amalgamation during the next local elections, MacLeod says it would still take at least four years for the process to be complete. The question of amalgamation in Greater Victoria has been years in the making. In 2014, seven of the 13 Capital Regional District municipalities said they wanted a study looking into amalgamation. In a non-binding referendum in 2018, residents approved each municipality spending up to $250,000 to study whether they would benefit from joining forces. The process was delayed by the pandemic but finally began last year. The Victoria-Saanich Citizens' Assembly, made up of 48 randomly selected residents from the two municipalities, released its recommendations in April. Criticism The discussion in Victoria Thursday morning did include criticism of the report and questions for assembly members. Coun. Jeremy Caradonna wondered why a financial analysis and risk assessment were not included as part of the process, or estimates of possible staff layoffs. At the meeting, MacLeod says the assembly recognized a "high degree of compatibility" between the two jurisdictions, including their populations and needs. Amalgamation discussions in other jurisdictions that MacLeod said he had taken part in often included a larger municipality absorbing a much smaller one, or several municipalities coming together — neither of which would be the case here. "That's much more complicated. That often includes the transfer of much more complicated risks," he told Caradonna.
