Trump golfs in Scotland as Epstein questions persist
Andrea Shalal |
US President Donald Trump has kept a low profile on his Scottish golf course ahead of meetings with top British and European leaders, as questions swirl at home about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump’s visit triggered protests in Scotland, with hundreds lining the streets of the capital Edinburgh waving placards saying: “NOT MY PRESIDENT.”
The US leader told reporters on arrival he would visit his two golf properties in Scotland – one in Turnberry on the west coast where he was playing on Saturday, local time, and the other near Aberdeen on the country’s eastern coast.
He is also due to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Scottish leader John Swinney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a “highly respected woman”.
Von der Leyen headed to Scotland ahead of the meeting, with two top US officials flying in from Washington and officials on both sides expressing cautious optimism that a framework trade agreement could be reached.
Trump will meet with von der Leyen at 3.30pm GMT on Sunday (1.30am AEST on Monday), the White House said.
Frustrated by continued questions about his administration’s handling of investigative files related to Epstein’s criminal charges and his death, Trump told reporters to focus on bigger issues and other people.
“You make it a very big thing over something that’s not a big thing,” Trump said.
“Don’t talk about Trump. What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency.”
Trump, normally a master at changing the subject when a topic stings politically, has been unable to shake off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.
The US president was spotted on the golf course on Saturday morning, local time, but had no public events on his schedule. Reporters and supporters were kept away by enhanced security.
The White House said Trump was golfing with his son, Eric Trump, and the US ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, and his son. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was also on the course.
White House officials hope some time out of the limelight will allow the Epstein controversy to die down, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Away from the golf course, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Edinburgh, with some holding up placards with images of Trump with Epstein.
Others in the crowd held pro-Palestinian signs. Cat Cutmore, 31, an Edinburgh resident, said she felt compelled to protest Trump’s visit given her deep concerns about the worsening situation in Gaza after 21 months of war and what she sees as the US president’s attacks on democratic principles.
She chafed at his warm reception by Scottish and British officials.
“There comes a point where if you roll out the red carpet to somebody who has put citizens of his own country and people who are seeking asylum into prison camps, you’re complicit,” she said.
Trump bought his Turnberry property, which includes a hotel and golf course, for $US60 million ($A90 million) in 2014, in the hope of returning the course to the rotation for the Open Championship, but said his visit was “not about that”.
It has not hosted the event since 2009 amid concerns about the lack of accommodation and infrastructure for an event that draws hundreds of thousands.
Reuters
