Trump to meet Starmer in 'oil capital' Aberdeen

Donald Trump has confirmed he will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Aberdeen later this month.

The US President told BBC News the city was "the oil capital of Europe" but added it should "get rid of the windmills".

The Scottish government previously confirmed Trump would also meet First Minister John Swinney during the private trip, which comes ahead of a full state visit to the UK later this year.

Trump has often spoken of his affection for Scotland but his last presidential visit, in 2018, prompted large protests in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

The president was asked about his visit during a phone interview from the White House with the BBC's Chief North America Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue.

Trump said: "We're going to have a meeting with... a state meeting with the prime minister, and that's going to be up in Aberdeen, which is the oil capital of Europe, they should bring it back too.

"They have so much oil there. They should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil.

"[Because] the windmills are really detrimental to the beauty of Scotland and every other place they go up."

Trump's anti-windmill position is one that will be familiar to Scots in the north east.

In 2019, his company Trump International lost a long-running court battle to stop a major wind power development being built in the North Sea off Aberdeen.

Trump argued the project, which included 11 wind turbines, would spoil the view from his golf course at Menie.

When BP discovered the Forties Field in the North Sea in 1970 it triggered the beginning of Aberdeen's oil boom.

But in recent years the focus has shifted to renewable energy including wind, wave and solar.

Environmentalists have also been campaigning for governments to stop issuing exploration licences which allow oil companies to search for new discoveries of fossil fuels.

In March the UK government launched a consultation on plans to replace the windfall tax on the profits of energy companies when it comes to an end in 2030.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce said it was "extremely proud" of the city's reputation as Europe's energy capital.

A spokesperson added: "For as long as we require oil and gas as part of our energy mix over the decades to come, we should produce as much of that as possible from the North Sea - sustaining jobs and growing our economy.

"The biggest barrier to investment in the North Sea is a 78% tax rate on profits and perhaps the US President can persuade the Prime Minister to lift that punitive tax when they meet in Aberdeen."

Tessa Khan, executive director of the Uplift campaign group which supports transition away from oil and gas production, said Trump "clearly knows nothing about the North Sea other than the view from his golf course".

She added: "More oil and gas drilling would not only lock us into an expensive energy source for far longer than is necessary, it will also contribute to the climate impacts – the wildfires, droughts and floods – that we're now seeing every year."

Donald Trump's off-the-cuff remarks about UK energy supply seem to miss the realities of what is happening in the North Sea.

The US president's call to "get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil" suggests a second boom could be on the cards if only British politicians would follow his unsolicited advice.

The "drill, baby, drill" policy of the world's biggest economy could arguably be traced back to the offence the businessman took on discovering a small windfarm was to industrialise the seaward view from his Aberdeenshire golf course - a view that was already peppered with dozens of oil supply ships at anchor.

But the reality is that oil and gas output in the North Sea has been in decline for more than a quarter of a century, since its peak in 1999, because the basin has been exploited to the max.

It is declining at about 5% each year and there are hundreds of wells in the process of being decommissioned.

Trump's sledgehammer approach, though, conceals a more nuanced debate which is taking place around whether to grant new licences for further exploration.

The industry says that it is vital to ensure the rate of decline is matched by the rate of growth in the alternatives such as renewables, hydrogen and carbon capture.

The UK government has ruled out that prospect, choosing instead to focus on accelerating the investment in green industries.

But exploiting every last drop and abandoning "the windmills" would be seen by most as a catastrophic prospect for UK jobs, investment and energy security.

Earlier, during his phone call with the BBC, Trump said that he was disappointed but "not done with" Vladimir Putin.

He was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days.

The president also endorsed Nato, having once described it as obsolete, and affirmed his support for the organisation's common defence principle.

Police Scotland last week confirmed that it was preparing for a presidential visit at the end of the month.

President Trump is expected to travel to his golf resort at Menie in Aberdeenshire. He also owns the Trump Turnberry resort in South Ayrshire.

Separately, the US president will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle from 17 to 19 September.

It will be his second state visit, having been hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 during his first term in office.

Trump's second state visit is unprecedented, with second-term US leaders typically invited for tea or lunch with the monarch.

Trump, whose mother Mary was born in Lewis, last came to Scotland in 2023, when he broke ground on a new 18-hole course at his Aberdeenshire golf resort.

The president's company also owns the Trump Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire.

A Scottish government spokesperson said the president's visit would be an opportunity to "promote the interests of Scotland".

However, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie described John Swinney's decision to meet with President Trump as "tragic".

He said: "There can be no excuses for trying to cosy up to his increasingly fascist political agenda."

Scottish Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the first minister should welcome the US president during his visit.

But she said it was "right that people have the right to protest".

Trump's trip will come at considerable expense to taxpayers and thousands of Police Scotland officers will be deployed during his stay.

The force is likely to ask for help from other UK forces under "mutual aid" agreements, particularly for officers with specialist skills.

Police Scotland has urged anyone planning to protest against the president to abide by the law.