Donald Trump's Golf Outing in Scotland Sparks Protests

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US President Donald Trump played golf under stringent security on his first full day in Scotland, while hundreds protested in major cities.

Trump played at his Turnberry resort on Scotland’s southwest coast with his son Eric and US ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens, waving to photographers. He arrived in his mother’s homeland on Friday evening local time.

His presence has transformed the picturesque and usually quiet area into a virtual fortress, with road closures and police checkpoints implemented.

Police officers — some on quad bikes and others on foot with sniffer dogs — monitored the famous course, the sandy beaches, and the surrounding grass dunes.

Secret Service snipers were stationed at strategic points, and some fellow golfers on the course were frisked by security personnel.

Donald Trump was spotted playing golf at one of his Scottish properties ahead of official meetings. Source: PA / Robert Perry

The 79-year-old Trump touched down Friday at nearby Prestwick Airport as hundreds of onlookers came out to see Air Force One and catch a glimpse of its famous passenger.

The president has professed a love of Scotland, but his controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship.

Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Trump immediately waded into the debate surrounding high levels of irregular migration, and lashed out at renewable energy efforts.

“You better get your act together or you’re not going to have Europe anymore,” he said, adding that migration was “killing” the continent.

“Stop the windmills. You’re ruining your countries,” he added.

Protesters angry at Trump and Keir Starmer

Trump’s five-day visit, which is set to mix leisure with business and diplomacy, has divided the local community.

His resort is not only well protected but it’s also in a relatively remote area, meaning most protesters chose to make their voices heard in Scotland’s big cities.

Over on the east coast, several hundred protesters demonstrated outside the US consulate in the capital Edinburgh and further north in the city of Aberdeen, near where Trump owns another golf resort.

The protests were organised by the Stop Trump Coalition, which has called on Scotland’s First Minister not to attend a scheduled meeting with Trump.

Participants held placards with slogans like “Scotland hates Trump” and waved Palestinian flags.

People take part in a Stop Trump Scotland protest outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh. Source: PA / Jane Barlow

“I am here because of fascism in America under Trump’s rule. I am here because of genocide in Gaza that is being funded and enabled by British and American governments,” said 44-year-old Amy Hanlon in Aberdeen.

Others said they did not want him in Scotland.

“People need to stand up to Trump and he needs to know there’s people who don’t like what he’s doing, what he’s doing to the world and the affect he’ll have on our children’s future,” one protester said.

Many were furious about the cost of the US president’s trip.

“He’s here on a private trip to inspect his golf courses, and the cost to the Scottish taxpayer is absolutely outrageous,” one protester expressed.

People take part in a Stop Trump Scotland protest at the Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen. Source: PA / Nick Forbes

The anger was not just directed at Trump, but also at British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has put a lot of time and effort into building a good working relationship with the US president.

“I’m disgusted by him … It’s disgraceful. He’s pandering to the right and he has been since the start of his Prime Ministership,” one protester told SBS News.

Starmer will meet Trump on Monday AEST while on Tuesday the President is expected to meet Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, who publicly endorsed Kamala Harris.

“I can understand that it probably needs to happen, it could be quite awkward in some respects if the First Minister does not meet with him, but personally, I think it would have been more significant if John Swinney had said ‘I’m not meeting with that man’,” stated another protesting Scot.

Others welcomed Trump

Not everyone was against his visit.

At Prestwick Airport on Friday evening a boy held a sign that read “Welcome Trump” while a man waved a flag emblazoned with Trump’s most famous slogan — Make America Great Again.

“I think the best thing about Trump is he’s not actually a politician yet he’s the most powerful man in the world and I think he’s looking at the best interests of his own country,” said 46-year-old Lee McLean, who had travelled from nearby Kilmarnock.

“Most politicians should really be looking at the best interests of their own country first before looking overseas,” he told Agence France-Presse.

Trump is due to discuss trade with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry on Monday AEST.

Trump is scheduled to return to the US on Tuesday but will be back in the UK for a state visit between 17-19 September, when he will be hosted by King Charles III.