Frustrated by continued questions about his administration’s handling of investigative files related to Epstein’s criminal charges and his 2019 death in prison, Trump also told reporters on Friday to focus on bigger issues and other people.
“You make it a very big thing over something that’s not a big thing,” Trump said. “Don’t talk about Trump. What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency.”
Protesters in Edinburgh were among those who took aim at Trump over the Gaza conflict, his immigration policies and his links to Jeffrey Epstein.Credit: AP
An Epstein sign outside the US consulate in Edinburgh.Credit: AP
Trump, normally a master at changing the subject when a topic stings politically, has been unable to shake off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.
The US president was spotted on the golf course on Saturday morning, but had no public events on his schedule. Reporters and supporters were kept away by enhanced security.
The White House said Trump was golfing with his son, Eric Trump, US ambassador to Britain Warren Stephens, and Stephens’ son. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was also on the course.
Police patrol the beach at Turnberry golf course.Credit: Getty Images
Trump’s entourage as he toured the Turnberry golf course.Credit: Getty Images
White House officials hope some time out of the limelight will allow the Epstein controversy to die down, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Gaza concerns
Away from the golf course, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Edinburgh, some holding up placards with images of Trump with Epstein. Others held pro-Palestinian signs.
A protester uses Scottish slang to take aim at Trump in Edinburgh.Credit: Getty Images
Cat Cutmore, 31, an Edinburgh resident, said she felt compelled to protest Trump’s visit given her deep concerns about the worsening situation in Gaza after 21 months of war and what she sees as the US president’s attacks on democratic principles.
She chafed at his warm reception by Scottish and British officials.
“There comes a point where if you roll out the red carpet to somebody who has put citizens of his own country and people who are seeking asylum into prison camps, you’re complicit,” she
said.
Protesters gather outside the US consulate in Edinburgh.Credit: Getty Images
More protesters in Edingburgh.Credit: AP
Janet MacLeod Trotter, another Edinburgh resident and an author of historical fiction, said she was particularly angry that Trump was capitalising on his mother’s name, which she shares.
On the trip, Trump will open a golf course near Aberdeen named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the US.
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“We’re just fed up with the way that he’s using political clout to browbeat people around the world … He’s coming here and using that as a gimmick to help his business interests,” Trotter said.
Gabriele Negro, an Italian who works at the University of Edinburgh, said he was there to send a signal that he, like others, did not agree with Trump’s immigration policies and stance on Gaza.
Trump bought the Turnberry property, which includes a hotel and golf course, for $US60 million ($91 million) in 2014, in the hope of returning the course to the rotation for the Open Championship, but said his visit was “not about that”.
It has not hosted the event since 2009 amid concerns about the lack of accommodation and infrastructure for an event that draws hundreds of thousands.
