Security tightens as Donald Trump plays golf at Turnberry

A major security operation is ramping up as Donald Trump begins a four-day private visit in Scotland.

The US president arrived at Prestwick Airport on Friday evening and stayed at his luxury golf resort, Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire.

Wearing a white “USA” cap and accompanied by his second son Eric, he teed off for a round of golf at about 10:00 on his first morning at the resort.

Trump is due to meet UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney over the next few days, as well as opening a second 18-hole course at his estate in Aberdeenshire.

The president has said “it’s great to be in Scotland” and has praised the leaders of both governments.

Several hundred demonstrators have gathered in both Aberdeen and Edinburgh to protest against the visit.

Many carried signs referring to an expletive slogan made infamous by the late comedian Janey Godley in 2018.

Questions have already been raised about the scale of the visit and the security implications, with police representatives raising concerns about the costs involved and the impact on staffing.

Journalists, photographers and plane watchers were among the crowds who gathered to see Air Force One touch down at Prestwick just before 20:30 on Friday.

Trump was greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray and Warren Stephens, US Ambassador to the UK.

The president spoke with journalists before a motorcade made up of more than two dozen vehicles escorted him to Turnberry.

A number of roads have been closed in the area while police and military personnel have been carrying out sweeps around the resort.

A security checkpoint has been put in place outside the hotel and a large fence has been erected around the course.

While security remains tight around Turnberry, some golfers were able to use the Ailsa course from about 07:30 – albeit in windy conditions.

Drones and helicopters have also been circling overhead.

Trump played his round of golf with his son Eric, as well as US Ambassador Warren Stephens and his son. Their entourage included 15 golf buggies.

A round during peak summer season can cost £1,000 at Turnberry.

There were no sign of any protesters around the course.

Trump waved to photographers who had gathered on a beach dune for a vantage point as he walked to the fourth tee.

The White House said that his son Donald Trump Jr was also accompanying him for the weekend.

Trump’s round coincided with an announcement by the Scottish government that £180,000 of public funding will support a tournament being held at his Aberdeenshire course next month.

The 2025 Nexo Championship on the DP World Tour is taking place at Trump International Golf Links from 7-10 August.

The Scottish government said the funding would go towards supporting delivery of the event.

John Swinney said the cash boost showed the government “recognises the importance and benefits” of golf in the country.

He added: “As the home of golf, we have a long-standing track record of support and I am proud this funding will further enhance Aberdeenshire’s reputation as a leading golfing destination and I am hopeful of securing further golfing events in future years.”

Trump is expected to meet Swinney on Monday, the same day he will see Starmer. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet the president on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations.

The US president will travel back to Washington on Tuesday and is due to return to the UK for an official state visit in September.

In his remarks to the press at Prestwick, Trump said European countries need to “get your act together” on migration, and “stop the windmills”, referring to wind farms.

In 2019, his company Trump International lost a long-running court battle to stop a major wind power development being built in the North Sea off Aberdeen.

Trump argued that the project, which included 11 wind turbines, would spoil the view from his golf course at Menie.

Swinney has said his meeting with Trump would present an opportunity to “essentially speak out for Scotland” on issues such as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland.

The first minister said he would also raise “significant international issues” including “the awfulness of the situation in Gaza”.

He urged those set to protest against the president’s visit to do so “peacefully and to do so within the law”.

Visits to Scotland by sitting US presidents are rare.

Queen Elizabeth hosted Dwight D Eisenhower at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire in 1957.

George W Bush travelled to Gleneagles in Perthshire for a G8 summit in 2005 and Joe Biden attended a climate conference in Glasgow in 2021.

The only other serving president to visit this century is Trump himself in 2018 when he was met by protesters including one flying a paraglider low over Turnberry, breaching the air exclusion zone around the resort.

He returned in 2023, two-and-a-half years after he was defeated by Biden.

Trump will have an official state visit to the UK in September when he and First Lady Melania Trump will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.

It is the second state visit he has been afforded – second-term US presidents are traditionally not offered state visits and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch, usually at Windsor Castle.