President Donald Trump touched down in Scotland on Friday evening for a private four-day visit, marking his return to a country where he has long-standing personal and business ties.
Trump arrived at Prestwick Airport shortly before 8:30 p.m. local time and was greeted by Ian Murray, the UK’s Secretary of State for Scotland, and Warren Stephens, U.S. Ambassador to the UK, BBC reports.
Trump headed straight to his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire, where he is expected to spend the weekend.
Trump said “it’s great to be in Scotland” as he arrived for a four-day private visit.
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Speaking to the press, he expressed admiration for UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, stating the newly agreed trade deal was “a win” for the UK. He noted, “They’ve been working on this deal for 12 years, he got it done – that’s a good deal, it’s a good deal for the UK.”
Trump also praised First Minister John Swinney of Scotland ahead of their meeting, which will take place Monday.
Swinney, in response, said he plans to address key issues like trade opportunities and international humanitarian crises, including the Gaza conflict. He also encouraged protesters to demonstrate lawfully and peacefully.
Trump will spend time at his property in Aberdeenshire after Turnberry, where he plans to inaugurate a new 18-hole course at Menie.
He credited the late actor Sean Connery with helping navigate the bureaucratic process to secure permits for the development, calling his support instrumental.
While discussing energy policy, Trump took aim at wind farms, claiming they degrade natural landscapes and harm wildlife.
He referenced his failed legal challenge from 2019, when a Scottish court upheld the installation of wind turbines near his Menie course, a project he had opposed for aesthetic reasons.
Turning to migration, Trump described illegal immigration in Europe as an “invasion,” and said the continent faces cultural and economic risks if current policies continue.
He contrasted that with what he claimed were recent successes in U.S. border control under his influence, accusing President Joe Biden of weakening the system.
When questioned about the recently surfaced Epstein documents and Ghislaine Maxwell’s Department of Justice interview, Trump dismissed the topic, saying the media overblew it and that it was “not the time” to discuss potential pardons.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves called the visit a “tangible benefit,” highlighting its economic benefits to Scotland, from Scotch whisky exports to defense partnerships.
The visit comes ahead of an official state reception in September, when King Charles will host Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Windsor Castle.
Though rare, visits by sitting American presidents to Scotland have occurred before.
Trump himself visited in 2018 and again in 2023 following his electoral defeat.
His return also has a personal dimension--Trump’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, hailed from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides before emigrating to the U.S. during the Great Depression.
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