The weather is breezy with occasional drizzle, which may dampen his hopes of a few rounds of golf – while angry protesters tell him to go home
Hello from Turnberry, Scotland where Donald Trump is enjoying the first day of a nice, relaxing holiday.
The weather is breezy with occasional drizzle, which may dampen his hopes of a few rounds of golf.
But hey, at least he gets to spend tomorrow with EU chief Ursula Von Der Leyen and Monday with Keir Starmer.
He arrived late last night on Air Force One at Prestwick Airport, before being whisked down the coat 35 miles or so to the resort in a huge motorcade, headed up by the infamous Beast limousine.
He’s already been spotted driving a motorcade of golf carts around the course this morning.
So far the locals I’ve spoken to are mostly …’meh’ about Trump’s arrival.
A handful have said they like the guy because he presumably brings money to the area.
Other long-term residents told me the course has never made much money anyway.
Which was true until last year – when it went from a profit of £186,000 in 2023 to £3.8 million.
Here’s what’s happened since Trump World arrived in Scotland that you need to know about.
1. Trump claims he was never given a briefing about his name being in the Epstein files
On the tarmac at Prestwick airport last night, Trump claimed he had never been given a briefing that indicated his name was included in the Epstein files.
That directly contradicts reporting from the Wall Street Journal earlier in the week, which said he’d been given such a briefing in May – and was told his name appeared multiple times.
And he said himself last weekend that he’d been given a short briefing by Attorney General Pam Bondi – but indicated at the time that his name was not in there.
2. He got a few strokes in before the rain
Trump was spotted on the golf course at Turnberry getting a bit of peace before it started raining.
A major security operation has surrounded US President Donald Trump as starts his private visit to Scotland.
The president headed to his Trump Turnberry resort – which he bought in 2014 – after arriving in the country on Friday night.
On Saturday morning he was seen on the golf course there, wearing a white cap and driving a golf buggy.
Ahead of that, a large number of police and military personnel have been spotted searching the grounds at the venue in South Ayrshire.
Various road closures have been put in place, with limited access for both locals and members of the media.
Having seen how the President is protected in the US, I’m confident saying the exclusion zone around the resort is larger and the police presence greater than anything he gets in the States.
Normally around 300 secret service agents travel with the President, backed up by teams from local law enforcement and specialised teams.
But the estimated number of police assigned to Turnberry this weekend is reportedly around 5,000 – which is more officers than protect the White House.
3. Protests planned, but maybe not on Trump’s doorstep
Co-ordinated anti-Trump protests are being held in Edinburgh and Aberdeen today to mark the US President’s arrival.
A rally outside the US consulate in Edinburgh kicked off at noon.
In Aberdeen, the group that gathered in the city centre were seen waving banners with anti-Trump slogans – with one demonstrator even dressed as the president with a large papier mache head.
Some members of the crowd also showed their support for Palestine, waving Palestine flags.
4. He really doesn’t want to talk about giving Ghislaine Maxwell a pardon
After he was a little vague before leaving Washington about the prospect of a pardon for convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell , who was paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s madam for many years, Trump swerved the question yet further on arrival in Scotland.
He claimed he had “not really been following” his Justice Department’s two-day re-interview with Maxwell in prison – which was being conducted by his former personal lawyer, now Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“A lot of people have been asking me about pardons,” he said.
“Obviously, this is no time to be talking about pardons.
“You’re making a very big thing over something that’s not a big thing.”
It also emerged last night that Maxwell had been given “limited immunity” in the meetings with Blanche – meaning she can’t be prosecuted over anything she reveals in them, so long as she tells the truth.
Her attorney David Oscar Markus – who is a friend of Mr Blanche, and appeared on his podcast last year – said Maxwell “answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her ability.”
He added: “She never invoked a privilege. She never refused to answer a question, so we’re very proud of her.”
Maxwell, whom he is proud of, is serving 20 years for five counts of sex trafficking.
5. Cancel the windmills!
Among other topics Trump decided to be more angry about than Jeffrey Epstein upon his arrival in Scotland was the preponderance of renewable energy sources in Europe.
Trump’s war on windmills started in Scotland, remember – back when he had a lengthy legal battle with the Scottish government over the windmills visible from his Aberdeenshire course.
And he’s basically been radicalised on the subject, and will believe any nonsense conspiracy theory about them killing whales and giving people earache or whatever.
Last night he said to European leaders: “Stop the windmills. You’re ruining your countries. I really mean it. It’s so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds and if they’re stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans.”
Because windmills are so much more ugly than, for example, large coal mines or oil fields.
6. The trade deal is ‘done’
Trump was asked at the airport what the remaining sticking points were in the trade deal with the UK.
He said there aren’t any, suggesting there won’t be any future changes.
This will be a disappointment to the government, who were still kind of hoping there’d be some wriggle room on the 10% blanket tariffs.
Despite Trump’s words last night, a Downing Street source said the two leaders would discuss trade as part of their meetings on Monday.
Asked what they’d be discussing, if not the trade deal, Trump said: “We’re going to do a little celebrating because we get along very well.”
7. Eric’s coming, look busy
I spoke to a shopkeeper near Trump’s golf course last night, who gave a fascinating insight into the President’s visits to Turnberry.
“You can tell Eric’s coming,” he said, referring to Trump’s son, who is joining the President on the trip. “Because of how the staff are acting.”
What did he mean by that?
“They know Eric’s really in charge of the resort, not Donald, and he’s very particular so they’re all more scared of him.”