US President Donald Trump begins a visit to Scotland on Friday, returning to his mother’s homeland amid a mix of family nostalgia, political meetings, and protests.
The trip, which includes stops at his two Scottish golf resorts, comes ahead of a formal state visit to the United Kingdom in two months. While Trump will be welcomed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney, demonstrations are expected across the country.
Trump’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in 1912 on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. She emigrated to New York in 1930 and married Fred C. Trump in 1936. Trump visited her childhood home in 2008 and maintains family ties in the area.
His business legacy in Scotland is dominated by golf. In 2006, Trump proposed a controversial course near Aberdeen, eventually opened in 2012 despite fierce opposition from environmentalists and local residents. A second course, the MacLeod Course—named after his mother—is set to open this summer. His other property, the historic Turnberry resort, was acquired in 2014 and has hosted the British Open in the past, though it remains off the current rotation.
Trump’s standing in Scotland has shifted over the years. Once appointed as an adviser in a Scottish business network, he was dropped in 2015 after proposing a US ban on Muslims. A university later revoked an honorary doctorate awarded to him.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney, a vocal critic of Trump in the past, said the meeting is “in Scotland’s interest.” UK Prime Minister Starmer is also expected to meet Trump to discuss trade, including a possible exemption for UK steel from US tariffs.
Trump recently praised Starmer despite ideological differences.
Security has been tightened ahead of the visit, with activist group Stop Trump Scotland planning demonstrations, particularly in Aberdeen.