Trump and his son Eric were greeted by two pipers, a red carpet and a 10-vehicle motorcade at Aberdeen International Airport as they stepped off his private jet with an American flag painted on the tail fin.
“It’s great to be home – it was my mom’s house,” Trump said. His late mother, Mary, was born on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides before immigrating to the United States.
Trump’s trip coincides with the second week of a civil trial in Manhattan on charges of raping former E. magazine columnist Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in 1996. He denies the allegation and did not attend the trial, which is expected to last throughout the week.
It is his first trip abroad since becoming the first former US president to face criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business documents during a court appearance last month. No travel restrictions were imposed on him as a condition of release, provided he appears in court for the required appearances.
The silent money case is just one of many investigations that could lead to criminal charges against Trump as he campaigns for a return to the White House. His 2024 bid was a priority as he previewed his trip to Aberdeen on his social media site.
“I will meet many wonderful friends and cut a ribbon for a spectacular new second course in Aberdeen,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Very exciting despite thinking about ‘making America great again’, in fact, America will be greater than ever.”
Trump’s visit to Scotland comes shortly after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, considered his main rival for the 2024 presidential nomination, returned home from his own international trip. DeSantis, seeking to hone his foreign policy credentials, traveled to Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom with his wife, Casey.
As he nears his own presidential bid, DeSantis’ trip differed from Trump’s in that it aimed to generate lucrative business deals and also boost the governor’s diplomatic resume ahead of an expected presidential election.
While some allies initially thought DeSantis could wait until early summer to enter the race, they now expect him to announce as soon as this month. Florida’s GOP-dominated legislature recently approved a measure that would change state law to allow DeSantis to run for president without resigning as governor.
When he leaves Scotland, Trump will visit his golf course in Doonbeg on the west coast of Ireland.
During his presidency, Trump has come under scrutiny for frequenting properties he owns and profits from, giving them taxpayer-funded publicity and charging taxpayers millions of dollars. . In 2019, then-Vice President Mike Pence stayed at Trump’s Doonbeg Hotel at taxpayer expense, defending his decision by saying it was a “logical” choice because of “the footprint unique that accompanies our security details and other personnel”.
