Donald Trump plays golf after warning Europe of ‘invasion’ fears
Donald Trump has taken to the golf course after he landed in Scotland where he also warned Europe was facing a ‘horrible invasion’.
US President Donald Trump has played golf on the first full day of his visit to Scotland, as protesters prepared to take to the streets across the country.
Trump emerged from his Turnberry resort with son Eric and waved to photographers following his arrival in Scotland.
After he landed in Glasgow, he gave an impromptu press conference on the tarmac where he also warned reporters that Europe better get its act together on immigration “or you’re not going to have Europe anymore.”
“You’ve got to stop this horrible invasion that’s happening to many countries in Europe,” the US leader said.
“Immigration is killing Europe,” he said, and claimed to know which leaders were trying to stop it and which were not.
He also took aim at alternative energy sources.
“Stop the windmills, killing the beauty of your country,” he said.
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Mr Trump was asked questions on a variety of issues including a trade deal with the EU, which he said was “concluded.”
He also said he looked forward to meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, telling reporters, “We’ll see if we make a deal. Ursula will be here, highly respected woman, so we look forward to that.”
Mr Trump reiterated earlier comments saying the chance of a deal was “50-50”, with sticking points remaining on “maybe 20 different things.”
“But we’re meeting ... with the European Union. And that would be, actually, the biggest deal of them all, if we make it,” he said.
He called the deal a “celebration” and said he’d be meeting many people “on other things” including the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Mr Trump also said he thought the Turnberry golf course was the best in the world, followed by Aberdeen, where he revealed his son Barron would “cut a ribbon”.
It comes as Turnberry resident Jim Robertson said President Trump will be welcomed by many Scots living close to the five-star golfing haven because he “spends a lot” of money in the community and “keeps it very nice”.
Mr Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday evening (Saturday AEST) for his five-day private visit and heavy police presence has been significantly bolstered in the area, about 85km south of Glasgow.
There was an excited group of locals there to meet him and catch a glimpse of not only the American president but also the impressive Air Force One as it landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
However the US president’s trip won’t go without disruption from anti-Trump protesters – many are expected to attend protests across the country on Saturday and voice their anger at his policies which activists claim includes lack of action on climate change.
Many are also furious about the millions of dollars spent by the Scottish government to deploy thousands of police officers during his visit.
Police on horseback, in patrol vehicles and overhead surveillance in and around Turnberry was in full swing ahead of Mr Trump’s arrival into Prestwick Airport on Friday night.
After landing, Mr Trump began the journey to his famous five-star golf course, Trump Turnberry, about a 45-minute trip by road.
More than 5000 police officers are part of the massive security operation and three-metre high fences have been erected around the Trump Turnberry golf course.
Concrete barriers are also in place and “no fly zone” signs are hanging on lampposts warning people that no “balloons, drones, kites, model aeroplanes, paragliders” and any aircraft are permitted to fly in the area.
Sandie Cook, 65, from Dunure, works at Balkenna Tea Room at Turnberry, and she said Mr Trump’s visit to the community is very important.
“He gives a lot of jobs to the people of Turnberry,” she said.
“There’s a different mixture of how people feel about him but apparently he’s a very good boss…he does help a lot of the local people of Turnberry with getting jobs”.
Mr Robertson, 69, from Turnberry, said having Mr Trump visit the area is “not a real problem” and he had the support of many residents because of his financial investment into the small community which has about 200 permanent residents.
“Nobody objects to him because he spends a lot of money and he keeps the place very nice,” he said.
“It’s busy but it’s not actually that busy compared to the last time he was here”.
Mr Trump purchased the world-class golfing venue in 2014 and during his latest visit he will spend time at Turnberry and also travel to Aberdeenshire on the eastern side of the country to open a new 18-hole golf course at Menie.
The new golfing facility, MacLeod Course at Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen, will be named after his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump,who was born and raised in Scotland.
Lynne Wilmer, 65, from Dailly, Scotland, said there’s plenty of Scottish people who are supportive of Mr Trump paying a five-day visit to the region.
“Well there’s a lot of people out (against him) and they’re the ones protesting but that’s the ones that are loud, but you will not see the people who think he’s actually benefited the area,” she said.
“There’s a lot of people who worked here, between the golf course and the hotel, all the staff, they all appreciate him and I hear he is good to the staff”.
She said Mr Trump also objected to the erection of wind farms in the area which aligned with the view of many locals who also did not want to see them go ahead in the picturesque area.
“There’s a lot of local people as well concerned with the development on their property, having windmills nearby but you wouldn’t hear all that on social media and TV because people are just quiet about it,” Ms Wilmer said.
There are no wind farms in the Turnberry area.
Mr Trump is also due to hold meetings with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney during his five-day trip to Scotland.
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Originally published as Donald Trump plays golf after warning Europe of ‘invasion’ fears