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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Politics
Craig Paton

Trump expected to hit the golf course on first day in Scotland

President Trump landed in Scotland on Friday (Jane Barlow/PA) - (PA Wire)

US President Donald Trump is expected to spend much of his first day in Scotland on the golf course he owns in Ayrshire.

Mr Trump drew crowds to Prestwick Airport on Friday evening as Air Force One touched down ahead of a four-day visit that will also take him to the club his family owns in Aberdeenshire.

With a meeting scheduled with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer understood to be making the trip north on Monday, Mr Trump – a well-known golf enthusiast – appears to be free to play the vaunted Turnberry course on Saturday.

But elsewhere, Scots will be protesting against the visit.

The Stop Trump Coalition has announced demonstrations in Edinburgh – near the American consulate in the Scottish capital – and another in Aberdeen in the days before his visit there.

As he landed in Ayrshire on Friday, the president took questions from journalists, telling Europe to “get your act together” on immigration, which he said was “killing” the continent.

He also praised Sir Keir, who he described as a “good man”, who is “slightly more liberal than I am”.

US President Donald Trump’s motorcade on the A77 in Maybole, South Ayrshire (Robert Perry/PA) (PA Wire)

Saturday will be the first real test of Police Scotland during the visit as it looks to control the demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as well as any which spring up near to the president’s course.

The force has asked for support from others around the UK to bolster officer numbers, with both organisations representing senior officers and the rank-and-file claiming there is likely to be an impact on policing across the country for the duration of the visit.

First Minister John Swinney – who is also set to meet with the president during his time in Scotland – has urged Scots to protest “peacefully and within the law”.

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