US

Donald Trump to visit UK for first time since 2019

Former president Donald Trump, who is facing court action in the US, is set to arrive in Scotland later today. 

The 76-year-old’s private plane is expected to land at Aberdeen airport ahead of a visit to his golf resort at the nearby Menie Estate – which opened in 2012.

Trump officials have not revealed how long he will stay or whether he will visit his other luxury Scottish course at Turnberry in South Ayrshire.

It is the first time the former commander-in-chief, who has ancestral links to the Scottish Western Isles, has visited the UK since 2019.

The trip comes after he became the first US president in history to face a criminal trial.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records to hide damaging information ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The claims centre around apparent hush money to adult film star, Stormy Daniels.

Mr Trump, who describes his Scottish golf courses as some of the best in the world, previously visited Scotland in 2018 while president.

Air Force One touched down at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire, sparking a major security operation.

There were major protests, including by a Greenpeace activist who paraglided over controlled airspace.

Mr Trump traces his roots back to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

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His mother, Mary Anne Trump, nee MacLeod, lived in the small village of Tong before leaving for the US in 1930, aged 18.

There, she married Fred Trump, and Donald is one of their five children.

On Monday morning, journalists – including Sky News – were invited to gather on the tarmac at Aberdeen International Airport ahead of Mr Trump’s fanfare arrival.

In November last year, Mr Trump announced he is running for president again in 2024.

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This visit to Aberdeenshire comes after the most-recent published financial accounts reveals loses of £4.4m in 2021 across Trump’s Scottish business operations.

The Menie Estate was almost £700,000 in the red while Turnberry suffered losses of more than £3.7m.

It is widely expected he will also stop off in Ireland, where he is understood to be landing at Shannon Airport on 3 May.

He will stay at his Trump International Hotel & Golf Links on the outskirts of Doonbeg in County Clare.

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