--- title: Donald Trump in Scotland: Why Some Scots Hate Him description: Donald Trump will be greeted by two Mexican flags, placed near his Aberdeenshire golf course, when he visits Scotland later this week canonical: https://time.com/4378489/donald-trump-scotland/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-22T18:20:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:51.125Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Some People in Scotland Really Hate Donald Trump og:description: The locals are not pleased og:url: https://time.com/4378489/donald-trump-scotland/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e35d779d7fb01fe/698898fef887dcea60e96592/donald-trump19.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5400 og:image:height: 3038 og:image:alt: FILES-GOLF-TRUMP-US-VOTE-BRITAIN og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Some People in Scotland Really Hate Donald Trump twitter:description: The locals are not pleased twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e35d779d7fb01fe/698898fef887dcea60e96592/donald-trump19.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Some People in Scotland Really Hate Donald Trump > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=06dcc9cb-45a6-475c-87dc-3a4fd188e366&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=06dcc9cb-45a6-475c-87dc-3a4fd188e366&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=06dcc9cb-45a6-475c-87dc-3a4fd188e366&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jun 22, 2016 6:20 PM UTC  Donald Trump arriving at the Women's British Open Golf Championships in Turnberry, Scotland, on July 30, 2015. Donald Trump arriving at the Women's British Open Golf Championships in Turnberry, Scotland, on July 30, 2015.Paul Faith—AFP/Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jun 22, 2016 6:20 PM UTC [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4377908/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-speech/?xid=homepage) will be greeted by at least two Mexican flags, placed near his Aberdeenshire golf course in Scotland, when he [visits the country](http://time.com/4353521/donald-trump-scotland-golf-course-brexit/) later this week. It’s a symbolic reminder of those he’s offended locally and internationally and a sign that the presumptive Republican U.S. presidential nominee should not expect a warm welcome after years-long contention surrounding the links, locals say. “He’s notoriously disliked here,” said Stan Blackley, an Edinburgh resident who [famously rubbed a yellow balloon](https://www.buzzfeed.com/jamieross/the-ballooning-of-donald-trump?utm%5Fterm=.osv6XOY5l#.rf52N0r5y) on Trump’s head in 2012\. “When he comes, we can almost feel the hair up the spine of Scotland stand up.” Blackley, a 46-year-old environmental campaigner, is one of many who oppose the real estate tycoon’s presence in Scotland. Almost 600,000 people earlier this year signed a [petition](https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/114003) calling for Trump to be banned from entering the U.K. Many of the signatures came from Scotland, according to [_The Atlantic_](http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/01/map-scotland-ban-donald-trump/424758/). “To some extent, I’m worried about his visit. He’s a blatantly racist, sexist, misogynistic idiot,” said David Milne, who recently erected a Mexican flag on top of his house near Trump’s International Golf Links course. “We would be far happier without him being here.” The 51-year-old has long been an enemy of Trump, and vice versa. (Trump called Milne a “loser” in a [tweet](https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/276385492755415040) in late 2012.) Milne has been a vocal critic of Trump and his developments after the mogul failed years ago to acquire his land and the homes of his neighbors on the Menie Estate. The two Mexican flags fly to protest Trump’s arrival and the incendiary comments he made last year about Mexicans being “rapists” who bring crime and drugs to America, he said. “It was in solidarity with the Mexicans and now everyone else who has been threatened, harassed and intimated by this man,” Milne told TIME on Wednesday. “I basically just want him to be aware of the fact that we’re still here—another example that he has failed. He did not chase us off our land.” One Mexican flag adorns Milne’s home while the other, put up by another major Trump detractor, stands 20 feet tall about 100 feet from the boundary of Trump’s links. Many locals support its statement, Blackley and Milne said. “Whether you’re anybody except Trump, he’s kind of said something dumb and horrible about you,” Blackley said. “It’s solidarity.” Trump, whose campaign did not immediately return a request for comment, picked Scotland to build his golf course because he is half Scottish, he says on the International Golf Links’ [website](http://www.trumpgolfscotland.com/). He plans to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the rededication of the renovated Trump Turnberry golf course, south of Glasgow, on June 24 before he visits his Aberdeen golf course on Saturday. But locals may not roll out the welcome mat. “I don’t think very many people want him here,” Milne said, adding that it’s “horrific” how far Trump has come in the U.S. election. “They’ve seen that he’s unacceptable—someone who has been pulled out of the dark ages, basically a prehistoric Neanderthal.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4378489/donald-trump-scotland/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4378489/donald-trump-scotland/"},"headline":"Why Some People in Scotland Really Hate Donald Trump","datePublished":"2016-06-22T18:20:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:44:51.125Z","description":"\"When he comes, we can almost feel the hair up the spine of Scotland stand up\"","url":"https://time.com/4378489/donald-trump-scotland/","keywords":["Donald Trump","Scotland"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e35d779d7fb01fe/698898fef887dcea60e96592/donald-trump19.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e35d779d7fb01fe/698898fef887dcea60e96592/donald-trump19.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"FILES-GOLF-TRUMP-US-VOTE-BRITAIN","caption":"FILES-GOLF-TRUMP-US-VOTE-BRITAIN","creditText":"Paul Faith—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4378489/donald-trump-scotland/","name":"Why Some People in Scotland Really Hate Donald Trump"}}]}] ```