Donald Trump and the Scots: A not-so special relationship

BBC News

11 hours ago

The Donald Trump who came to Scotland in 2006 to say he was building the world's greatest golf course was in many ways a different Donald Trump to the one now enjoying his second term in the White House.Back then he was a brash hotelier, perhaps best known for hosting the US version of The Apprentice and his brief cameo in the 1992 film, Home Alone 2.The President Trump who returns to Scotland later this month has often spoken of his affection for the country where his mother was born and says he built the course on the Menie Estate at Balmedie in Aberdeenshire in her memory. But two decades on, few Scots return that affection.
That's not usually the case when it comes to US presidents and their ancestral ties this side of the Atlantic. Immigration is a huge part of the American experience and US presidents have a strong tradition of acknowledging their family roots in the old world.
John F Kennedy and Joe Biden kept their Irish ancestry central to their personal and political identities and both enjoyed hugely successful trips to Ireland. President Kennedy is said to have described his 1963 visit as the best four days of his life.In 2023, Joe Biden made a triumphant tour of the country, speaking to tens of thousands in his ancestral home town of Ballina in County Mayo.He declared "I'm at home" when he addressed the Irish Parliament and even found time to visit a pub in County Louth.Designed to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the trip was seen as a huge success and clearly meant a great deal to both Biden and the Irish.
It's almost impossible to imagine the same thing happening with President Trump in Scotland.To be fair, Scottish links to the White House are historically less well-known and celebrated. Yet according to the National Library of Scotland, 34 out of the 45 presidents have Scottish ancestry.These include George Washington, William McKinlay, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.And Trump is more Scottish than any of them. His mother was a Gaelic speaker, born and raised in Lewis in the Western Isles, who moved to America aged 18 in 1930.Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was said to have retained her native accent throughout her long life (she died aged 88 in 2000), and visited regularly enough that many there remember her well.All this would normally be cause for celebration. But it's a reflection of Trump's personality and reputation that his relationship with the Scots has been largely antagonistic. A recent opinion poll suggested seven in 10 Scots had an unfavourable opinion of the president.I've been covering the story of Trump in Scotland since 2006 and have come to realise that to understand the relationship between the two you have to start with him flying in to Scotland with that grand plan to pay tribute to his beloved mum.
There had been a few months of speculation before Trump confirmed his plans in March 2006. He said he'd been looking to build a links golf course in Europe for years."My preference was Scotland over any other country, because I am half Scottish - my mother, Mary MacLeod, is from Stornoway," he said."When I saw this piece of land I was overwhelmed by the imposing dunes and rugged Aberdeenshire coastline. I knew that this was the perfect site."The complex will cover a large area of sand dunes. I have never seen such an unspoilt and dramatic seaside landscape, and the location makes it perfect for our development."
There's a certain irony there. The unspoilt nature of those dunes at Balmedie would become central to the reaction which grew up against Trump.Some of the land he bought was under protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The shifting sand dune system along that stretch of coast north of Aberdeen was regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind in the UK.What followed was a protracted and often bitter planning dispute that went all the way to the heart of the Scottish government.The conservation agency Scottish Natural Heritage had warned a planning inquiry that the development would seriously damage the SSSI. The local council turned down the development, but permission was later granted by Scottish government ministers on the basis that the potential economic benefit would outweigh any environmental harm.The development went ahead in the face of protests from environmental groups and calls for professional golfers not to attend the official opening in 2012. In 2020, it was announced the dunes at Balmedie had lost their SSSI status. The dunes are now said to not include enough special features. Trump International described the move as "highly politicised".
The long-running environmental dispute probably turned many against the Trump plans. But there was also a human story developing and this really captured the public's imagination. Quite quickly in the development process, Trump became involved in a public fight with two of the site's neighbours.Michael Forbes and David and Moira Milne own properties next to the Trump course. They declined to sell their land and the tycoon went on the offensive.On one visit he was filmed looking up at the Milnes' home - actually a rather striking converted coastguard station which sits high on a hill overlooking the course - saying "I want to get rid of that house".He was told by an employee that this could cause a "bit of stir" and replied: "Who cares? We are going to build the greatest golf course in the world, this house is ugly."Trump also accused local farmer and salmon fisherman Michael Forbes of living in a "pig-like atmosphere".Mr Forbes and the Milnes became folk heroes to Trump's critics. The Milnes flew a Mexican flag outside their home in a protest against plans to build a wall on the southern US border.Speaking on a US comedy show in 2017, Mr Forbes branded the president a "clown", adding: "The only regret I have is I didn't knock him on his arse when I met him".
It should be said many welcomed Trump's interest in Scotland, especially at the start. He enjoyed the qualified support of Jack McConnell and Alex Salmond's governments. The sort of inward investment he promised doesn't come along every day.The former head of the economic agency Scottish Enterprise, Jack Perry, later described being "profoundly dismayed" when councillors turned down the planning application.Speaking to BBC Scotland for a documentary I made with my colleague Glenn Campbell in 2017, he said: "I found it hard to credit. You're saying, 'No' to Donald Trump? Remember, this is before he was involved in politics and had the kind of toxic brand that he has now."Local chambers of commerce, business leaders and many councillors backed the project. Stewart Spence, who died earlier this year, ran the luxury Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen for more than 40 years.As an influential business leader in the city, he was an early supporter of Trump and his plans, recognising the potential value for the local economy.Speaking in 2017, he said: "I knew that this was a man that wouldn't do anything unless it was the best in the world. And that was always what he was known for."The two became friends, with Trump gifting him membership at the club.
Trump was made a business ambassador by Jack McConnell in 2006 and awarded an honorary degree by Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University four years later.All of these can be easily justified by the need to do business with powerful business and political leaders.And there are those today advocating for better relations with Donald Trump.Writing in The Times newspaper ahead of the recent UK-US trade deal, the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar argued: "President Trump's affinity for Scotland is real, regardless of what people think of his politics."His family's investments in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire are real and significant. They have created jobs, attracted tourism, and demonstrated that Scotland remains an attractive destination for global investment."I am sure at times they have felt frustrated at doing business in Scotland, but the potential benefits of having the president of the United States as an advocate for others to invest in Scotland should be obvious."But many at the top of Scottish politics turned away from Trump years before he won the 2016 election.In 2012, he travelled to the Scottish Parliament to argue against a wind farm being built in the North Sea, within sight of his development.He went on to fight a court action against the plans. And when he lost, he turned his ire on Scotland's politicians, especially ministers. The man who had once called Salmond "a tremendous representative of the people of Scotland" who had done "a fantastic job", now said, "You're going to have riots all over Scotland, because Alex Salmond is going to destroy the natural beauty of Scotland".
The economic benefits of the Aberdeenshire golf course - which had tipped the argument for ministers - also came into question as the years passed.Trump promised a £1bn project creating hundreds of jobs. According to an investigation by BBC Scotland in 2024, the latest accounts showed the facility has a net book value of £33.2m and 81 employees.In addition to the golf course, the original proposal also included approval for a 450-room hotel, 950 holiday apartments, 36 golf villas and 500 houses for sale.None of these elements, and the thousands of new jobs promised, have materialised. The golf resort had yet to turn a profit, racking up £13.3m in losses since it opened.President Trump is expected to open the second course at the site while on his latest visit. He's also likely to visit the Trump Turnberry resort in Ayrshire. Bought in 2014 for $60m, at its centre is the Ailsa course with its rich history of hosting the Open Championship.In the wake of the Washington riots in 2021, the organisers of The Open announced that it would not be held at Turnberry as long as its links to the Trump Organisation remain. In recent months, there have been suggestions this may change.Turnberry has became the focus of many of the protests against Trump throughout his presidency and beyond. It's where the late comedian Janey Godley was pictured holding a very blunt placard and buildings on the course have been the subject of recent vandalism in protest at the president's comments on Gaza. Trump's low regard among most Scots remains a live issue. If anything, his return to the White House has energised his critics and his name on Scottish businesses gives them a focus for their anger.
As Scotland gets ready for Trump's return, there are concerns about the cost of policing such a high-profile occasion, and talk of further public protests.So what will all this mean when the president flies into Scotland later this month?Donald Trump has an almost unparalleled talent for courting controversy, getting into fights and provoking his opponents. It would be a stretch to imagine he cares very much whether people turn out and protest his visit. As someone who thrives on all kinds of publicity he might, in fact, welcome it.It would be even more of a stretch to believe angry Scots hitting the streets to march against him will change his mind on anything.People will likely protest and, though he has his supporters and those who believe Scotland ought to make more of the connection, the voices raised against him will probably be the loudest across the days he spends in his mother's homeland.But the last 20 years suggest he won't necessarily be listening.
Craig Williams produced and directed the documentary Donald Trump: Scotland's President for BBC Scotland in 2017.