Protesters throw Scottish slang at Trump as he tees off at his golf course

Edinburgh: US President Donald Trump kept a low profile on his Scottish golf course on Saturday ahead of meetings with top British and European leaders as questions swirled at home about his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump arrived on Friday on a visit that has triggered protests in Scotland, with hundreds lining the streets of the capital Edinburgh waving placards taking aim at the US president, including with Scottish slang.

Anti-Trump protesters gather in Aberdeen on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images

The United States leader told reporters on arrival that he would visit his two golf properties in Scotland, one in Turnberry on the west coast where he played on Saturday and the other near Aberdeen on the east coast.

He is also due to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Scottish leader John Swinney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a “highly respected woman”, as the US and the European Union negotiate a trade deal.

Von der Leyen headed to Scotland on Saturday ahead of the meeting on Sunday afternoon (Monday morning AEST). Two top US officials also flew in from Washington and officials on both sides expressing cautious optimism that a framework trade agreement could be reached.

Upon landing in Scotland on Friday, Trump didn’t explicitly link negotiations to non-trade matters but he did suggest that he planned to raise concerns over migration flows. Trump has imposed strict anti-immigration policies since returning to office, carrying out a mass deportation effort of those in the US illegally while also narrowing pathways to legally move to the US.

US President Donald Trump plays golf at his Turnberry course in Scotland on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images

Donald Trump takes a swing at Turnberry on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images

“You got to stop this horrible invasion that’s happening to Europe, many countries in Europe,” Trump said, adding that he believed “this immigration is killing Europe”.

Frustrated by continued questions about his administration’s handling of investigative files related to Epstein’s criminal charges and his 2019 death in prison, Trump also told reporters on Friday to focus on bigger issues and other people.

“You make it a very big thing over something that’s not a big thing,” Trump said. “Don’t talk about Trump. What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency.”

Protesters in Edinburgh were among those who took aim at Trump over the Gaza conflict, his immigration policies and his links to Jeffrey Epstein.Credit: AP

An Epstein sign outside the US consulate in Edinburgh.Credit: AP

Trump, normally a master at changing the subject when a topic stings politically, has been unable to shake off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.

The US president was spotted on the golf course on Saturday morning, but had no public events on his schedule. Reporters and supporters were kept away by enhanced security.

The White House said Trump was golfing with his son, Eric Trump, US ambassador to Britain Warren Stephens, and Stephens’ son. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was also on the course.

Police patrol the beach at Turnberry golf course.Credit: Getty Images

Trump’s entourage as he toured the Turnberry golf course.Credit: Getty Images

White House officials hope some time out of the limelight will allow the Epstein controversy to die down, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Gaza concerns

Away from the golf course, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Edinburgh, some holding up placards with images of Trump with Epstein. Others held pro-Palestinian signs.

A protester uses Scottish slang to take aim at Trump in Edinburgh.Credit: Getty Images

Cat Cutmore, 31, an Edinburgh resident, said she felt compelled to protest Trump’s visit given her deep concerns about the worsening situation in Gaza after 21 months of war and what she sees as the US president’s attacks on democratic principles.

She chafed at his warm reception by Scottish and British officials.

“There comes a point where if you roll out the red carpet to somebody who has put citizens of his own country and people who are seeking asylum into prison camps, you’re complicit,” she
said.

Protesters gather outside the US consulate in Edinburgh.Credit: Getty Images

More protesters in Edingburgh.Credit: AP

Janet MacLeod Trotter, another Edinburgh resident and an author of historical fiction, said she was particularly angry that Trump was capitalising on his mother’s name, which she shares.

On the trip, Trump will open a golf course near Aberdeen named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the US.

“We’re just fed up with the way that he’s using political clout to browbeat people around the world ... He’s coming here and using that as a gimmick to help his business interests,” Trotter said.

Gabriele Negro, an Italian who works at the University of Edinburgh, said he was there to send a signal that he, like others, did not agree with Trump’s immigration policies and stance on Gaza.

Trump bought the Turnberry property, which includes a hotel and golf course, for $US60 million ($91 million) in 2014, in the hope of returning the course to the rotation for the Open Championship, but said his visit was “not about that”.

It has not hosted the event since 2009 amid concerns about the lack of accommodation and infrastructure for an event that draws hundreds of thousands.

Reuters, Bloomberg

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