Donald Trump has said he “loves standing on the soil of Scotland” after landing in the country on Friday evening, according to the Scottish Secretary.
Ian Murray told the PA news agency what the US President’s first words were after disembarking from Air Force One in Prestwick.
The UK Government minister was the first person to greet the president in Scotland as he begins his visit to the country.
Speaking after meeting the American leader, Mr Murray told PA: “The president came off the flight, and I said, ‘Mr president, welcome to Scotland – the home country of your dear mother’, and he said, ‘It’s great to be here, I always love standing on the soil of Scotland’.
“I said, ‘I hope you’re looking forward to a bit of downtime with some golf this weekend’, and he said, ‘Yes’. And I said, ‘Well, we’ve whipped up a bit of a wind for you to make it a bit more competitive’, and he went, ‘I’m looking forward to it’.”
Mr Murray said Mr Trump was given a warm reception as he got off his presidential plane.
Hundreds gathered on the Mound overlooking Prestwick Airport for the president’s arrival.
A Trump flag was flown while a few spectators wore “Make America Great Again” hats, although many of those attending were locals and aviation enthusiasts, including some who had travelled from England.
Mr Murray said: “Spotters hills, as it’s called, where all the plane spotters come to Prestwick, was absolutely full.
“You could see that from the tarmac and as Air Force One came in, people were snapping away on their photographs.
“To see all that happening is quite a spectacle in itself.
“It’s really good to have that kind of focus on Scotland.”
Mr Trump will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his trip to discuss the UK-US trade deal as Britain hopes to be spared from the president’s tariff regime.
The Scottish Secretary said: “Really, the purpose of this weekend, the purpose of greeting the president off the plane, the purpose of the Prime Minister’s relationship with the president is to build that close relationship, to make sure that that old alliance is nurtured, and to do that for the benefit of the national interest, which is about jobs and growth here in the UK, and particularly Scotland.”
Mr Trump will meet Scottish First Minister John Swinney during his trip as he opens a new golf course in Aberdeenshire.
Before flying to Prestwick, Mr Trump said in Washington that he was “looking forward” to meeting Mr Swinney, describing him as a “good man” – the same phrase he used for the Prime Minister after landing in Scotland.
Asked about the president’s relationship with the UK, Mr Murray said: “The Prime Minister has taken a very pragmatic approach to the relationship with the president of the United States, because it’s in our national interest to do so, whether it be on defence, security, trade, cultural, historic ties.
“It’s a historic alliance, and that alliance has to be nurtured and continue through to the future, because it’s quite clear that our relationship with United States is good for jobs and growth here in Scotland and across the UK.
“The Prime Minister knows that, and knows that working very closely with the US is in our national interest.”
Asked about protests, which are expected across the country, Mr Murray said people had a right to demonstrate, adding: “Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom to protest is a key cornerstone of both countries, America and the UK, and the right to be able to protest if they so wish to so.”
