Trump opens his new Scottish golf course before return to US to ‘put out fires’

Donald Trump has officially opened a new golf course at his Aberdeenshire resort, saying he would play a quick round before returning to Washington to “put out fires all over the world”.

The US president teed off at The New Course in Menie in front of a crowd including golfers, the Scottish first minister and the Scottish Labour leader.

Mr Trump also made reference to late James Bond actor Sir Sean Connery’s reported support for his golf resort – even attempting to recreate the actor’s voice.

Just before hitting the first ball at the New Course, the US president told those gathered on a grandstand: “We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful.

“The area has really welcomed us. If you remember at the beginning there wasn’t quite a welcome, but it wasn’t bad.

“But with time they liked us more and more, now they love us and we love them.”

Mr Trump added: “I look forward to playing it today.

“We’ll play it very quickly and then I go back to DC and we put out fires all over the world.

“We did one yesterday – you know we stopped the war. We’ve stopped about five wars.

“That’s much more important than playing golf. As much as I like it, it’s much more important.”

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the president thanked his son Eric for his role in creating the new 18-hole course, adding: “This has been an unbelievable development.

“The land, they said it couldn’t get zoned, it was an impossibility.

“And Sean Connery said ‘let the bloody bloke build his golf course’.

“Once he said that everything came into line. John (Swinney) and I were talking about that last night.”

The president met first minister Mr Swinney on Monday evening at a private dinner, and the two had a more formal meeting on Tuesday