Trump arrives in Scotland for a visit that will combine diplomacy and golf
US President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday (25) on a visit that will combine diplomacy with his great passion, golf, and which will be marked by a huge security detail and several planned protests.
The presidential plane, Air Force One, landed at Prestwick Airport, near Glasgow, shortly before 19:30 GMT (16:30 Brasília), according to an AFP journalist on board.
The Republican tycoon, who has no public events scheduled for Saturday, will then head to Turnberry, one of two golf courses owned by his family business, which is run by his sons.
Scottish police have announced a major security operation in response to protests in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and near golf courses.
On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who hopes to reach a deal on tariffs with the United States, will take advantage of Trump's visit to meet with him, she said on X.
Trump is expected to depart from these locations at some point to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but details about the meeting are not yet available.
The Labor leader, who is not known for being a golf enthusiast, is more interested in addressing other issues, such as trade policy.
The United States and the United Kingdom announced a trade deal in May that allowed Starmer to avoid the exorbitant tariffs imposed on other countries, but London is concerned about Trump's stated intention to "tweak" it.
"We're going to talk about the trade deal we signed and maybe even improve it," the US president said before his departure.
However, it appeared to dash British hopes of securing a permanent reduction in tariffs on steel and aluminum. Until now, London had been exempt from 50% of the tariffs on imports to the United States.
"If I do it for one, I would have to do it for all," Trump said, when a journalist asked him about possible "leeway" in favor of the United Kingdom.
The war in Gaza is also emerging as a topic on the agenda, at a time when outrage is growing over the humanitarian crisis stemming from the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and Starmer is under pressure after French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that he will recognize the Palestinian state.
Trump, 79, plans to return to the UK in September for a second official state visit – the first was in 2019 – at the invitation of King Charles III, which promises to be grand.
The trip to Scotland also temporarily distances him from the latest developments in the controversial case of Jeffrey Epstein, the financier found dead in his cell in 2019 before his trial for sexual crimes.
Epstein had a friendly relationship with Trump, but now the president is facing criticism from his own supporters, who are demanding access to the late tycoon's case files.
Many conservatives who support the Republican defend a conspiracy theory that Epstein's death was instigated by the "deep state" to protect prominent figures from all walks of life, especially the Democratic Party and Hollywood, who were linked to the sex ring.
The Wall Street Journal, which published an article detailing Trump's longstanding ties to the sex offender, was excluded from coverage of the Scotland trip by the White House and sued by Trump in court.
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said the territory "shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries."
Swinney announced that he will meet with Trump and that the US president's trip is an opportunity for Scotland to "make its voice heard on important issues such as war and peace, justice and democracy."
During a previous visit in 2023, the Republican said he feels at home in Scotland, where his mother Mary Anne MacLeod grew up before emigrating to the United States at age 18.
This declaration of affection will not prevent protests on Saturday against his visit in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Residents, environmentalists and local officials have also expressed their displeasure over the Trump sons' construction of a golf course in Balmedie, a small town north of Aberdeen.
This is just one of the family holding's multiple projects around the world over which Trump no longer has legal control.
However, his opponents accuse the tycoon of conflicts of interest and of using his influential position as president of the United States to promote his family's private investments, especially abroad.
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