US President Donald Trump has arrived in Scotland at the start of a four-day visit during which he will spend time on his golf courses and hold a series of meetings with European officials. Immediately upon arrival, he issued a scathing attack on Europe’s migration policy.
“You better get your act together or you’re not going to have Europe anymore. This is a terrible invasion. Immigration is killing Europe,” Trump said after landing at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire, adding that “not a single illegal migrant has entered the United States in the last month.”
Although it was an unofficial visit, largely related to his private affairs and golf courses, Trump’s arrival sparked great public and media interest, as well as protests across Scotland.
The US president took the opportunity to praise the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling him a “good man,” albeit “a little more liberal.” He described the new trade agreement between the US and Great Britain as a “good deal.”
Speaking to the media, Trump criticized the construction of wind farms across the continent, calling them “destroying the beauty of Europe.”
“Stop the windmills. You’re destroying your beautiful valleys and killing the birds,” he said.
Trump immediately headed to his golf course in Turnberry upon arrival, and announced the opening of a new course in Aberdeenshire.
“There’s no place like Turnberry, probably the best course in the world,” he said, adding that actor Sean Connery helped him get planning permission.
“If it weren’t for Sean Connery, we wouldn’t have these great courses,” Trump added.
Meetings are planned with Scottish First Minister John Sweeney, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during the visit. Trump said there was a “good chance, 50-50” of a new trade deal with the European Union, although “there are still maybe 20 sticking points.”
Asked about the Jeffrey Epstein documents, Trump said he was “focused on business, not conspiracy theories” and declined to comment on the possibility of pardoning Gillian Maxwell, Epstein’s close associate.
Trump’s visit to Scotland has sparked a series of protests by the Stop Trump Scotland group, with demonstrations taking place in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dumfries. Although Police Scotland did not disclose the number of officers deployed, it said the security costs would be “significant”.
During his previous visit in 2018, police security cost more than £14m, with £3m spent on his two-day stay in Turnberry alone.
Prime Minister Sweeney said the visit would not affect police work, but the general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, David Kennedy, said such a claim was “nonsense”.
“Of course we want the US President to be able to come to Scotland. The problem is the state of our police force and the lack of people,” Kennedy said.
Donald Trump’s visit will last four days, and a number of activities related to his golf investments are planned, as well as meetings with political leaders from Europe.
