Donald Trump: Embarrassed by the Epstein affair, he goes green in Scotland, between golf and business negotiations

The American president readily boasts of his talent for golf, which he plays regularly. Keir Starmer, a football fan, rarely frequents the greens. The differences in sporting affinities and temperaments have not prevented Donald Trump and the more level-headed British leader from having a cordial relationship so far. Keir Starmer wooed the American president by presenting him with an official invitation from King Charles III for a state visit, which will take place from September 17 to 19. The Times newspaper believes that the Labour Party forced the sovereign's hand in order to "capitalize on the American president's adoration for royal pomp."

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will try to gauge Donald Trump's trade intentions in Scotland, having so far managed to largely fend off the former property developer's protectionist ire. The United States and the United Kingdom already announced a trade agreement in May, but London is concerned about Donald Trump's expressed desire to "fine-tune" it. The American president's trip will allow him to distance himself, at least geographically, from the twists and turns of the Jeffrey Epstein affair , a wealthy financier accused of sex crimes who died in prison in 2019 before being tried.

Anger is brewing within a portion of the Trump base, who criticize the president for not shedding light on the address book of this former New York jet-setter, with whom he himself maintained a friendly relationship. In a sign of the sensitivity of the issue, the White House removed the Wall Street Journal from the list of media outlets traveling on the presidential plane this weekend, following an article in the newspaper about the links between Donald Trump and the sex offender.

Donald Trump has always proclaimed his love for Scotland, where his mother is from, but this affection is not necessarily reciprocal. Demonstrations are planned for Saturday in Edinburgh and Aberdeen to protest his visit, and a large police presence will be deployed. Turnberry Golf Course was vandalized in March. The clubhouse facade was covered in red paint, the course damaged in places, and the message "GAZA IS NOT FOR SALE" ("Gaza is not for sale") was written in capital letters on the turf.

The construction of a new course by the group now led by the president's sons has sparked discontent in Balmedie, Aberdeeshire, among some local residents and Green elected officials. The Republican leader, for his part, believes that wind turbines, a renewable electricity production method he abhors, further disfigure the landscape. Recently, he "strongly recommended" that British authorities "stop (building) expensive and unsightly wind turbines" in favor of hydrocarbon exploitation, particularly in Aberdeen, the rear base for offshore oil platforms.