Trump plays golf in Scotland while protesters take to the streets and decry his visit
Trump and his son Eric played with the US ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, near Turnberry, a historic course that the Trump family's company took over in 2008.
Hundreds of protesters gathered on the cobblestone and tree-lined street in front of the US Consulate about 160 kilometres away in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital.
Speakers on a makeshift stage told the crowd that Trump was not welcome and they criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for striking a recent trade deal to avoid stiff US tariffs on goods imported from the UK.
Donald Trump (2L) reacts as he plays golf at the Trump Turnberry Golf Courses, in Turnberry. AFP
Protests were planned in other cities as environmental activists, opponents of Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza and pro-Ukraine groups loosely formed a "Stop Trump Coalition."
"I think there are far too many countries that are feeling the pressure of Trump and that they feel that they have to accept him and we should not accept him here,' said June Osbourne, 52, a photographer and photo historian from Edinburgh who protested wearing a red cloak and white hood, recalling "The Handmaid's Tale." Osbourne held up picture of Trump with "Resist' stamped over his face.
The dual-US-Scottish citizen said the Republican president was "the worst thing that has happened to the world, the US, in decades.'
Golf carts are parked surrounding President Donald Trump as he plays golf at the Trump Turnberry golf course. AP
Saturday's protests were not nearly as large as the throngs that came out across Scotland when Trump played at the resort during his first term in 2018. But bagpipes played, people chanted "Trump Out!' and raised homemade signs that said "No red carpet for dictators," "We don't want you here' and "Stop Trump. Migrants welcome.'
One dog had a sign that said "No treats for tyrants.'
Some on the far right took to social media to call for gatherings supporting Trump in places such as Glasgow. Upon arriving in Scotland on Friday night, Trump admonished European leaders for not cracking down on immigration.
"This immigration is killing Europe," he said. "You better get your act together,' Trump said. "You're not going to have Europe anymore.'
While in Scotland, Trump is set to talk trade with Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president. But golf is a major focus.
The Trumps will also visit another Trump course, in the Aberdeen area in northeastern Scotland. They plan to cut a ribbon on Tuesday, opening the second Trump course.
The president has long lobbied for Turnberry to host the British Open, which it has not done since he took over ownership. "There's no place like it,' he said on Friday night.
Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
33 minutes ago
- The National
Federal Reserve holds US interest rates despite Trump pressure, but divisions emerge
A divided Federal Reserve held US interest rates steady on Wednesday, despite an increasing pressure campaign by President Donald Trump to lower borrowing costs. The Fed's target range remained set at 4.25 to 4.50 per cent following the central bank's decision to extend its rate-cut pause for a fifth consecutive month. The UAE Central Bank, which follows Fed decisions because of the dollar peg, also maintained its base rate for the overnight deposit facility at 4.4 per cent following the US central bank's announcement. It also decided to maintain the interest rate applicable to borrowing short-term liquidity from the CBUAE at 50 basis points above the base rate for all standing credit facilities. Fed governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman – both appointed by Mr Trump – dissented, arguing the central bank should have lowered the federal funds target rate by 25 basis points. It was the first time in more than two decades that two Fed governors had dissented on a policy decision. Governor Adriana Kugler was absent and did not vote. The dissents reflect a growing division inside the central bank over interest rates as pressure builds on Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who has faced repeated attacks from Mr Trump to lower rates. The latest developments also come amid growing speculation over who will lead the central bank once Mr Powell's term expires next year. Trump pressure Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Trump seized on a better-than-expected GDP report to demand lower interest rates. '2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! 'Too Late' MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes,' he wrote on the Truth Social media platform. Mr Trump has suggested the Fed lower interest rates by three percentage points to help reduce borrowing costs on the US national debt as well as shore up the housing market. 'We don't consider the fiscal needs. No advanced-economy central bank does that, and it wouldn't be good for if we did do that,' Mr Powell said at a news conference. Mr Trump escalated his pressure campaign by touring the Fed's headquarters last week, criticising Mr Powell for the costs associated with the project. The two men publicly bickered at the renovation site, but Mr Powell offered a more conciliatory tone on Wednesday. 'I was quite pleased to have the President say multiple times that what he really wanted to see was us getting this construction completed as soon as possible. That is our focus,' Mr Powell said. So far, Mr Trump's attacks have done little to persuade Mr Powell to move. The Fed has adopted a wait-and-see approach towards cutting rates this year, owing to uncertainty over the economic effects of Mr Trump's tariff policies. 'Higher tariffs have begun to show more clearly the prices of some goods, but their overall effects on economic activity and inflation are being unseen,' Mr Powell said. And even Fed members who have called for rate cuts have suggested doing so at a far more moderate pace than what Mr Trump wants. Fed division Driving the dissent among the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee was which side of the central bank's dual mandate to prioritise: price stability or maximum employment. Mr Waller and Ms Bowman both signalled in the weeks leading up to the latest meeting that they believed it was appropriate to cut interest rates this month before the labour market weakens further. Recent data showed the labour market as being in stasis, with both hiring and quitting rates near historic lows, even as the unemployment rate remains stable at 4.1 per cent. However, Mr Powell said the Fed was further away from its price stability mandate than its maximum employment mandate. Economists generally argue that tariffs will lead to higher inflation and recent data showed that businesses are beginning to pass costs of some everyday items, such as household appliances, to consumers. But Mr Powell said it was unlikely that this would lead to persistent inflation. 'A pretty reasonable base case is that this will be a one-time price increase, and in the end, we'll make sure that that's the case,' he said. 'We're just trying to do that efficiently.' Fed officials have previously suggested there could come a point when their two mandates could clash. Cutting rates too soon could reverse course on the downwards trend inflation seen since its 2022 peak, while holding rates for too long could lead to unnecessary damage in the housing market. Fed officials were expected to receive more information this week, including inflation and unemployment data from June on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Powell non-committal on cut Mr Powell offered a more hawkish perspective on policy decisions, firmly siding with the central bank's price stability mandate. 'When we have risks to both goals, and one of them is farther away from goal than the other, and that's inflation, that means policy should be tight, because tight policy is what brings inflation down,' he said. Mr Powell did not give any indication which way the Fed was leaning ahead of its September meeting. 'He doesn't want to have to backtrack … if he gets too stimulative too quickly, and so it's a very well telegraphed, orchestrated slow process so that once he does start to ease, it doesn't need to be reversed,' said Arnim Holzer, Global Macro Strategist at Easterly EAB. Traders pared back expectations of the Fed resuming its interest rate cuts in September from roughly 63 per cent yesterday to about 54 per cent on Wednesday, according to CME Group data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 171 points – or 0.38 per cent – while the S&P 500 also closed lower, dropping 0.12 per cent. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.15 per cent. 'It was a slightly bearish result,' Mr Holzer said. Fed officials are due to receive two rounds of unemployment and inflation data before they meet next month. Meanwhile, officials are also likely to continue tracking how Mr Trump's negotiations with major trading partners evolve. The White House recently announced a 15 per cent tariff on the European Union, while discussions continue with China. Meanwhile, Mr Trump has announced a range of tariffs on Mexico and Canada. 'For the Fed to take their time here makes sense because we don't know the rules of the road unless and until we get the answers on Canada and Mexico,' said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
US tariffs on dozens of countries to take effect in seven days, executive order says
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday imposing ' reciprocal tariffs ' ranging from 10 per cent to 41 per cent on dozens countries. The levies will take effect in seven days, the order said. For Middle East countries, Syria received one the heaviest tariffs at 41 per cent, as did Iraq at 35 per cent and Libya at 30 per cent. Jordan and Israel were both hit with 15 per cent. Trading partners not listed in Friday's executive order will be subject to a duty of 10 per cent. The White House said that Canada's tariffs would be raised to 35 per cent due to its 'continued inaction and retaliation'. But the US will keep in place an exemption for goods traded under the rules of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. The executive order highlighted that certain foreign trading partners have agreed to, or were on the verge of concluding, 'meaningful trade and security agreements with the United States'. 'Goods of those trading partners will remain subject to the additional ad valorem duties provided … to this order until such time as those agreements are concluded,' it said. Mr Trump announced the so-called retaliatory tariffs, which Washington says are aimed at addressing trade imbalances, in April. He then enacted a series of pauses to allow for trade negotiations. In recent weeks, the President has sent out dozens of letters to countries around the world inviting them to negotiate trade deals or be subject to tariffs. The US has recently struck deals with the EU, the UK, Japan and South Korea. 'President Trump is using tariffs as a necessary and powerful tool to put America First after many years of unsustainable trade deficits that threaten our economy and national security,' the White House said in a fact sheet.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Trump tariffs: Gulf countries among others in limbo as deadline approaches
Gulf Co-operation Council members were among dozens of countries waiting to find out whether the new tariff rate President Donald Trump was expected to enact on Friday would indeed go into effect. 'The trade team has been working around the clock to try to be in correspondence with as many countries as possible, but if they haven't heard from us yet, they will in the form of a letter or an executive order by midnight tonight,' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday. Mr Trump had previously maintained that his 'reciprocal tariffs' – originally announced on April 2 – would be enacted on Friday after he previously delayed them. The UAE and Saudi Arabia were both hit with a 10 per cent tariff in April, which represented lower tier of the levies set by the President. Earlier this month, Mr Trump suggested he could send a letter to more than a 150 countries informing them of the tariff that they would be charged. 'They're not big countries, and they don't do that much business. Not like the ones we've agreed with, like China, like Japan,' he told reporters during a recent meeting with Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House. But he also said he was considering a baseline tariff rate of 15 to 20 per cent. Mr Trump's negotiations have primarily focused on the largest US trading partners. Total trade with the European Union, for example, was an estimated $975.9 billion last year, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. US total trade goods with the UAE in 2024 was estimated at $34.4 billion. How will the Gulf Co-operation Council be affected? Economists have said the reciprocal tariffs will have a limited direct impact on Gulf economies because their trade with the US is relatively small. They have instead pointed to the indirect impact that tariffs will have on the region through global growth and its impact on oil demand. Tariffs are expected to have some inflationary effects while also dampening growth. Such prospects led the International Monetary Fund to project the global economy to slow from 3.3 per cent growth in 2024 to 3.0 per cent this year. The latest figure is an upwards revision from its April forecast owing to some easing in trade tension and tariff front-loading, the fund said. 'Despite these welcome developments, tariffs remain historically high, and global policy remains highly uncertain,' chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told reporters. Who has Trump announced deals with? Among the major US partners Mr Trump has signed trade agreements with are Vietnam, South Korea and Japan. He also announced a trade deal on Sunday with the EU, in which the US would charge a 15 per cent tariff on European imports. Mr Trump placed the same levy on Japanese and South Korean goods. The UK, Pakistan and Indonesia have also reached trade deals. However, Mr Trump has yet to come to an agreement with three of the four largest US trading partners: China, Mexico and Canada. Mr Trump on Thursday said he and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to extend a period in which Mexico would pay tariffs on fentanyl, cars, steel, aluminium and copper for 90 days as the two sides continue discussions on a trade agreement. Separately, he said Canada's plan to recognise the state of Palestine at an upcoming UN meeting would not be a deal-breaker in talks between Washington and Ottawa. He had previously said Canada's plan to recognise the state of Palestine would jeopardise discussions. Meanwhile, China is on a separate deadline of August 12 after Beijing and Washington previously agreed to reduce their escalatory tit-for-tat tariffs. China Vice Premier He Lifeng said the two sides had agreed to work on extending that deadline by 90 days after two days of talks in Stockholm this week, Reuters reported, citing a statement from China's Ministry of Commerce. Which countries have received trade letters? For those who have not struck a trade deal with the US, Mr Trump has sent their leaders letters outlining their tariff rate. Iraq and Tunisia were among roughly two dozen countries to have received a letter from Mr Trump. The letters, which were nearly identical except for the new tariff rate, had warned each country not to announce retaliatory measures. South Korea, which had also received a letter, later agreed to a deal that would lower the new US tariff rate to 15 per cent from 25 per cent. Mr Trump separately threatened to slap a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, accusing the government of enabling the war in Ukraine through its purchases from Russia.
