Trump on Scottish golf course as he tees up Putin talks

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Europe

03:54

US President Donald Trump took to the golf course on Saturday, waving at protesters as he prepared for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump, on the third day of his four-day trip to Britain, was on a private visit to his Turnberry luxury golf resort in southwest Scotland ahead of Monday's summit in Helsinki.

Wearing a white baseball cap reading "USA", he appeared to wave towards protesters chanting "No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA," referring to the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

The demonstrators, who had gathered on the nearby beach, climbed a hill to ensure the president could see them when he took to the golf course.

Twitter screenshot of a post by US President Donald Trump

Trump earlier tweeted, "I have arrived in Scotland and will be at Trump Turnberry for two days of meetings, calls and hopefully, some golf — my primary form of exercise! The weather is beautiful, and this place is incredible!"

Protesters gathered

Besides the demonstrators at Turnberry, around 9,000 protesters gathered in Edinburgh, police said, adding that no arrests were made.

Giant balloons depicting Trump as an orange baby were flown at the demonstration.

People held placards reading "Ex-pat for a reason," "No place for Trump's hate" and "No trade with Trump."

Protesters stand on a beach near Turnberry golf club, Scotland, July 14, 2018. /AP Photo

A mass protest in London on Friday drew more than 250,000 people, organizers said.

Britain's International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the protesters were "an embarrassment to themselves."

Of their hostility, he told BBC television, "I don't think that reflects the genuine good manners and hospitality of the British people."

Source(s): AFP