U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Scotland, north Britain on Friday afternoon for a four-day personal trip which the leader of Scotland’s devolved government said he would use to talk about the Gaza war.
First Minister John Swinney said he wanted to use the chance of Scotland being front-page news worldwide to “showcase” the home nation, to “advance our interests”, but also to talk Gaza. The leader of the devolved assembly, one of three within the United Kingdom, will meet President Trump during his visit this weekend, as will UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Underlining his priorities, Swinney said: “As we welcome the president of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy.”
This incudes using his sit-down time with President Trump to express his views on “humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland’s voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world”, he said.
President Trump is part British, his mother Mary Anne Macleod having emigrated from Scotland to New York in 1930 where she married Frederick Trump.
During his visit, President Trump is expected to visit his Turnberry and Aberdeen golf courses. His last visit to Scotland saw protests and protests are expected again, with the largest Scottish police deployment in years underway and several media outlets focussing on negative political expressions against the President.
The Times of London appeared to stand nearly alone in speaking to local Scottish residents around his Turnberry course, who expressed their “love” for the President, the jobs he brings to the area, and generous “$50 tips”, something unusual in the UK which does not have a strongly established tipping culture.
The trip to Scotland is separate from President Trump’s planned state visit to the United Kingdom due to take place later in the summer, when he will be hosted in Windsor by King Charles III.
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