The Scottish Government is to award £180,000 worth of funding to the Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeenshire. The announcement was made by First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney whilst protests were taking place across Scotland against the visit by Donald Trump.
The US President is visiting Scotland amidst mounting pressure at home about his long and close links with sex trafficker and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Despite Trump hoping the story would go away more images and film footage has been emerging of Trump and Epstein together at social events covering several years.
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. He died in his jail cell on August 10, 2019, during Trump’s first Presidency. His death was recorded officially as a suicide. Surveillance film of his cell, however, has 3 minutes of missing footage leading to speculation about his death. The Epstein files include the names of powerful, rich men who used his services to acquire women, young girls, and children for sex.
It was a central part of the campaign to re-elect Donald Trump that he would release the Epstein files. Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed President Donald Trump in May on the Justice Department’s review of the documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, she told him that his name appeared in the files. – CNN
A succession of Whitehouse spokespeople and some MAGA supporters have argued that Trump’s name appears in the files but only because he knows a lot of celebrities. It seems strange then that if he has nothing to hide then why not release these files ? In all of this one should not forget the victims of the sex crimes, many who were children at the time of their exploitation.
First Minister John Swinney said:
“As we welcome the President of the United States, Scotland will be showcased on the world stage. This provides Scotland with a platform to make its voice heard on the issues that matter, including war and peace, justice and democracy.
“It also includes the millions of Americans – many of them potential future tourists or investors in Scotland – who will watch their elected President as he visits our country.”
Orkney always welcomes many US visitors to its shores. Some of those have attended the Vigils against the Gaza Genocide, joining with islanders on the Kirk Green, including this Saturday, 26 July. Scotland certainly made its voice known about Trump’s visit with protests happening up and down the nation, making it very clear what Scots think about a convicted felon being allowed entry by the UK Labour Government.
The £180,000 of funding is for The Scottish Championship taking place at Trump International Golf Links Scotland in Aberdeenshire from August 7-10. Co-Leader of the Scottish Greens Patrick Harvie said that the funding shamed Scotland. He said:
“It’s an embarrassing attempt to please a bully and shows the same craven attitude as Keir Starmer. We should be standing in solidarity with the people on the receiving end of Donald Trump’s regime.
“John Swinney had a choice to make. He could have stood up for the values of democracy and human rights. But instead he folded at the first test and used hundreds of thousands of pounds of our money to appease a far right billionaire fraudster.
“For people like Trump it will never be enough. There can be no appeasement. The more money and more power you hand him the worse it will get for those targeted by his authoritarian project.”
Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization, said: “We are honoured to host the Scottish Championship on the DP World Tour at our iconic property.
“2025 is an incredible year for Trump International, Scotland, as we proudly welcome two world-class tournaments and celebrate the highly anticipated grand opening of our new championship links course. This significant milestone reflects the hard work of our team and is a true testament to the exceptional golf and hospitality we deliver in Scotland.”
Meanwhile in the US opposition to Trump’s policies, cutting support for ordinary Americans, and the building of concentration camps to imprison people rounded up by ICE, is gathering more support. Prices for goods in the US continue to rise including food stuffs.
Fiona Grahame
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