No love for President in his ‘homecoming’ trip back to Scotland
DONALD Trump arrived in Prestwick last night and declared that he “really loves Scotland”.
But Scotland left the US President in no doubt that we really don’t love him.
Trump was met off Air Force One by Scottish Secretary David Mundell as he started the “private” Scottish leg of his UK visit.
He arrived for a weekend of golf at his Turnberry hotel resort. Meanwhile, 50 miles away, about 1500 protesters gathered in Glasgow.
After landing, Trump and the First Lady, Melania, were shepherded into a presidential motorcade flying both the American flag and the Saltire.
He will spend the weekend at Turnberry – well away from protests across the country.
Talking to reporters afterwards, Mundell revealed the content of his short conversation with the President.
He said: “[Trump] said he really loves Scotland and has been looking forward to playing golf in Scotland.
“He said he has been in Scotland many times before and was very pleased to be here as President. He obviously feels strongly about his mother’s heritage.
“He is looking forward to playing golf at Turnberry. He hopes the weather will be conducive as he understands it has been drier than usual here.”
The Record revealed yesterday that Trump will spend part of the weekend schmoozing business contacts flown into Scotland by his son Eric.
The Trump jet – used by the President’s family – was already parked outside a hangar at Prestwick when Air Force One touched down.
Eric spent Thursday at the Trump golf course in Aberdeenshire and said he was looking forward to spending the weekend with his father.
Mundell defended the decision to roll out the red carpet and welcome Trump. He said: “The UK and the US have a long and important relationship. We have close cultural ties, a strong economic partnership and the US is one of our most BY DAVID CLEGG & TORCUIL CRICHTON important security allies. The President’s visit is an opportunity to strengthen those vital links. Mr Trump is passionate about his Scottish heritage and I hope he enjoys his visit to Scotland.”
The cost of policing Trump’s visit is expected to reach £5million.
Opposition parties had called on the SNP to bar Trump from using Prestwick – which is owned by the Scottish Government – as a “travel ban” protesting against the President’s immigration policies.
Meanwhile, it was claimed yesterday that Trump hates First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
A former Whitehall staffer revealed how Trump regularly complains to Theresa May about Sturgeon.
He said the US President spends valuable talking time “bitching about Sturgeon”.
The staffer said: “He totally hates Nicola Sturgeon. He spends lots of his time bitching about her. He loathes Alex Salmond, too. But why spend so much time talking about Sturgeon in a phone call with Theresa May?”
Trump’s bizarre behaviour is just one aspect of the so-called special relationship that continues to “surprise and exasperate” May in her transatlantic telephone calls with Trump.
Sturgeon has made clear her loathing of Trump and his politics in the past and will not be invited to meet him in Scotland this weekend.
Instead, she will lead the Pride Glasgow march through the city today.
Sturgeon withdrew Trump’s membership of the GlobalScot business network “with immediate effect” in 2015 after he called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” following terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, in California.
She has been a continual critic of his comments on a range of subjects from his attitude to women to climate change.