Trump’s Arrival in Scotland Met With Protests, Mockery, and ‘Epstein Island’ Jabs

President Donald Trump’s return to Scotland – the land of his birth mother – has been far from a friendly homecoming. According to local reports, “the president flew into Scotland on Friday night, and after touching down at the nearby Prestwick Airport headed for the golf resort” he owns at Turnberry, South Ayrshire, in the southwest of the country. Trump’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. Instead of a warm Scottish greeting, however, Trump found himself under a heavy security cordon and the glare of angry protesters. Police have shut roads around Turnberry, deployed snipers and drones along the coast, and even stationed naval vessels offshore. A guardian of this “fortress,” the local First Minister John Swinney urged demonstrators to keep their protests “peaceful and within the law.”

Protest Rallies Across Scotland

A wave of street protests has erupted from Edinburgh to Aberdeen. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in city centers and near Trump’s resorts, carrying angry slogans and even a giant “Baby Trump” blimp reminiscent of his 2019 London state visit. One sign mockingly proclaimed “Nae Trump – get oot, nasty weasel man-baby,” while another declared “Scotland hated Trump before it was fashionable.” Protesters also made global statements: many waved Palestinian flags and held “Free Gaza” banners, linking local opposition to Trump with broader Middle East issues. “You better get your act together or you’re not going to have Europe anymore,” Trump had quipped to reporters at Prestwick Airport about migration and wind energy, but on the Scottish streets the mood was clear: “Scotland hates Trump.”

Scotland’s politicians have taken note. Even as Trump’s visit is formally a private one, First Minister John Swinney — who is scheduled to meet the president — pointedly said he would “take the decision that’s in Scotland’s interest” by engaging Trump on key issues. At the same time Swinney stressed that Scots have the right to dissent, urging any protests to remain peaceful. Local observers summed up the sentiment: as Scottish journalist Dominic Hinde put it, Trump had “played on his Scottish roots and expected to be welcomed like a king… His reception has only got worse and worse. We don’t want much to do with his kind of politics.”

Satirical “Epstein Island” Sign Stirs Mockery

Adding to the ridicule, activists have linked Trump’s Scottish golf empire to another scandal altogether. In the days before the visit, members of the campaign group Everyone Hates Elon secretly affixed a large placard under the Trump International Golf Links sign at Trump’s Aberdeenshire course reading “Twinned with Epstein Island.” The stunt went viral online, highlighting criticism of Trump’s past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (Protesters note that Epstein’s private Caribbean island became infamous as a site of child sex crimes.) Trump has denied ever visiting Epstein’s island – quipping in 2019, “I was never there,” and urging reporters to ask instead whether Bill Clinton went there – but the sign underscored that many see his ties to Epstein as an open sore. Similar artwork has cropped up elsewhere too: earlier in July a poster of Trump alongside Epstein was plastered near the U.S. Embassy in London.

Another striking image from Trump’s arrival was a protester holding a handwritten sign reading “This is not a paedophile island. You are not welcome here” as Trump’s motorcade drove into Turnberry. The comparison clearly resonates with locals who recall Trump’s years-long battle with Aberdeenshire residents over wind farms and development near his courses. Whether or not Trump ever set foot on Little Saint James, demonstrators are making their feelings plain: they have “seen through him,” as the Guardian quoted one long-time Trump opponent, and they believe their protests can press their point.

Security Operation and Festival of Resistance

The heavy security on Friday and Saturday reflects both protester plans and Trump’s recent history. Officials have described this as “the biggest security operation since Elizabeth II died,” with more than 5,000 police and military personnel on duty to guard Trump’s movements. Turnberry’s normally quiet dunes have been transformed into a “virtual fortress,” with road closures, checkpoints, and snipers on rooftops. By Saturday morning, riot police were on alert in Edinburgh outside the U.S. consulate, where a planned Stop Trump Scotland demonstration drew hundreds of people. In fact, CBS News reports that local activists have dubbed the weekend a “Festival of Resistance,” with coordinated rallies in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and elsewhere.

Despite the protests, there were a few Trump supporters. A small number of onlookers greeted Air Force One at Prestwick: one boy held a homemade “Welcome Trump” sign and a man waved a “Make America Great Again” flag. But they were vastly outnumbered by the dissenters. As veteran Trump critic Graham Hodgson told AFP near Turnberry, “The man is a megalomaniac… he’s doing a lot of damage worldwide,” reflecting how many Scots feel about the president’s policies.

Agenda Amid Tension

Amid this tense atmosphere, the Trump itinerary mixes leisure and high-stakes diplomacy. On Sunday he is scheduled to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and on Monday to meet Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, ostensibly to discuss trade and tariffs. After meetings in the cities, Trump plans to head north to formally open his new golf course at Balmedie near Aberdeen. But even as he plays golf and dines, the headlines are likely to remain about those who turned out on the shores and streets to mock him. In Scotland this week, the U.S. president discovered that deep roots do not guarantee a welcome – and that a placard poking fun at Epstein can steal the limelight from any swing.