Scotland implements security measures for Trump's trip, which mixes diplomacy with golf

US President Donald Trump arrives in Scotland this Friday (25) on a visit that will combine diplomacy with his great passion, golf, and which will be marked by a huge security detail and several planned protests.

The Republican tycoon plans to spend his stay between two seaside golf courses owned by his family, in Turnberry and Aberdeen.

Trump is scheduled to arrive in Scotland at 8:20 p.m. (4:20 p.m. Brasília time) this Friday. According to the White House, he has no public events scheduled for this weekend.

Scottish police have announced a major security operation in light of protests called in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and near their golf courses.

Trump is expected to step away from the golf course at some point to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but details about the meeting are not yet available.

The Labor leader, who is not known for being a golf enthusiast, is more interested in addressing other issues, such as trade policy.

The United States and the United Kingdom announced a trade deal in May, but London is concerned about Trump's stated intention to "refine" it.

Starmer will try to strengthen his good relationship with the unpredictable Republican leader, with whom he managed to avoid the exorbitant tariffs imposed on other countries.

The war in Gaza is also emerging as a topic on the agenda, at a time when outrage is growing over the humanitarian crisis stemming from the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and Starmer is under pressure after French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that he will recognize the Palestinian state.

Trump, 79, plans to return to the UK in September for a second official state visit – the first was in 2019 – at the invitation of King Charles III, which promises to be grand.

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said the territory "shares a strong friendship with the United States that goes back centuries."

Swinney announced that he will meet with Trump and that the US president's trip is an opportunity for Scotland to "make its voice heard on important issues such as war and peace, justice and democracy."

During a previous visit in 2023, Trump said he feels at home in Scotland, where his mother Mary Anne MacLeod grew up before emigrating to the United States at age 18.

This declaration of affection will not prevent protests on Saturday against his visit in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Residents, environmentalists and local officials have also expressed their displeasure over the Trump sons' construction of a golf course in Balmedie, a small town north of Aberdeen.

This is just one of the family holding's multiple projects around the world over which Trump no longer has legal control.

However, his opponents accuse the tycoon of conflicts of interest and of using his influential position as president of the United States to promote his family's private investments, especially abroad.

The American NGO Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) reported in May that the Trump group had already implemented 21 international development projects since the beginning of his second term.

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