President Donald Trump landed in Scotland for his first trip to the UK since being elected in 2024. The 79-year-old will meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Scottish First Minister John Swinney, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The president said he will ‘work on a deal’ with the EU chief. Trump further added that he will ask Europe to get its ‘act together’ on immigration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the five-day trip would be a ‘working visit that will include a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Starmer to refine the historic US-UK trade deal’.
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Why Donald Trump is in Scotland
According to the White House, Trump and British PM Keir Starmer are expected to continue trade talks days after the two parties reached an agreement on the Liberation Day tariffs. The UK, the US's ninth-largest trade partner, originally faced a 10% baseline tariff, but the deal lowered rates on automobiles and steel.
The president is also expected to visit his golf courses in Scotland: Trump Turnberry and Trump International Scotland. His trip comes ahead of the opening of a second golf course at the Trump International Scotland resort.
The National's front page viral
{{/usCountry}}The president is also expected to visit his golf courses in Scotland: Trump Turnberry and Trump International Scotland. His trip comes ahead of the opening of a second golf course at the Trump International Scotland resort.
The National's front page viral
{{/usCountry}}Ahead of President Trump's visit, local paper The National ran a controversial front-page story. "Convicted US Felon to Arrive in Scotland," the headline read.
Trump is a felon. He was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024.
The president went to Scotland to play his Turnberry course during his first term in 2018 while en route to a meeting in Finland with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But this trip comes as the new golf course is already actively selling tee times.
Why Trump is facing backlash for his Scotland visit
“We’re at a point where the Trump administration is so intertwined with the Trump business that he doesn’t seem to see much of a difference,” said Jordan Libowitz, vice president for the ethics watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “It’s as if the White House were almost an arm of the Trump Organization.”
Several protest groups in Scotland are expected to hold demonstrations during Trump's visit. Police Scotland is expected to deploy thousands of officers during Trump’s visit, according to PA Media.
(With AP inputs)