Trump opens new golf course in Scotland, heading home with eye on Middle East
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US President Donald Trump plays a round of golf at his second 18-hole course near Aberdeen, Scotland, on July 29.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ABERDEEN, Scotland – US President Donald Trump formally opened a new golf course at his sprawling property in Scotland on July 29, saying he would play a quick round before heading home to focus on addressing crises in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Mr Trump, wrapping up a five-day visit to Scotland, was joined by former football players, golfers and business leaders for a first round of golf at his new second 18-hole course at Trump International near Aberdeen, Scotland.
Initially billed as a private visit, the trip quickly morphed into a diplomatic mission, including a trade agreement
During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on July 28, Mr Trump raised pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a worsening hunger crisis
Asked at the July 29 event what he would say to Mr Netanyahu, Mr Trump said he was trying to get things “straightened out”.
During his talks with Mr Starmer, Mr Trump said he disagreed with Mr Netanyahu’s assessment there was no starvation in Gaza, while giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a much tighter deadline to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine.
Flanked by his two sons Eric and Donald Jr, with several grandchildren nearby, Mr Trump raved about the beauty of the new golf course in the dunes of north-eastern Scotland, before teeing off.
“I look forward to playing it today. We’re going to play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world,” he said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new course, alluding in part to a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia.
“We stopped a war. We’ve stopped about five wars. So that’s much more important than playing golf,” he said.
Several nations have nominated Mr Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a message endorsed by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a social media post in recent days.
Golfers Paul McGinley and Rich Beem teed off with Mr Trump and his son Eric, and an eclectic mix of notable figures followed.
Former Chelsea and A.C. Milan striker and top Ukraine goal-scorer Andriy Shevchenko, who is now the president of his country’s football association, was a guest, as were fellow ex-football players Robbie Fowler, Gianfranco Zola and Jim Leighton.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who met Mr Trump earlier on July 29, also attended, along with Mr Adrian Mardell, chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, and Mr Alastair King, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, who represents Britain’s finance industry. REUTERS
