DONALD Trump does not deserve a warm welcome and must be met with protests on his visit to Scotland, according to the Scottish Greens.
Shortly after Keir Starmer's arrival at the White House on Thursday, the Prime Minister handed his US counterpart a letter from the King, marked “private and confidential”, inviting him to meet in Scotland and plan a second state visit.
It comes after the US president's son Eric Trump confirmed his father would visit Scotland this year for the opening of a new golf course in Aberdeenshire.
The King’s letter suggested Trump could drop in at Balmoral or Dumfries House to discuss plans when he does.
But the invitation is a move that has been condemned by Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie who said that Trump, since starting his second US presidency in January, has unleashed “some of the most destructive policies of any US president in living memory”.
“I have no doubt that Donald Trump’s visit will be met with protests and a great deal of anger," Harvie said.
“Only this week the First Minister was calling for a united front against the far right. That must also mean standing up to Donald Trump and the toxic and hateful politics that he represents.”
He added: “Despite Keir Starmer’s sickening deference to him, Trump is not a friendly leader and should not be treated as if he was. He is a dangerous, fraudulent, misogynistic, racist, climate-change denier, and one who openly opposes democratic values.
“During his first Presidency he repeatedly promoted the work of fascists, and in recent weeks high profile members of his government have been openly advancing the interests of far right parties in Europe, interfering in our domestic politics in a way that would once have sparked global outrage."
Harvie went on: "It was only two weeks ago that his vice president was spreading misinformation about abortion rights in Scotland to a global audience.
“The threat Trump represents to global security, to democracy, to human rights and to our climate could not be clearer. To offer him such a warm welcome and the trappings of a state visit is a slap in the face to the millions of people across the US and beyond who are frightened for their friends and family who are having their rights eroded or removed.
“The UK Labour Government is utterly failing to recognise the threat he poses and the urgent strategic choice this country faces. Either we stand reunited with democratic Europe, or we assist Trump in ushering in a frightening new era, one where international law is replaced by the whim of tyrants and their billionaire backers.
