{"id":5806,"date":"2025-07-25T13:01:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/?p=5806"},"modified":"2025-07-31T21:25:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T20:25:25","slug":"aberdeen-students-trump-is-not-welcome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/news\/2025\/07\/25\/aberdeen-students-trump-is-not-welcome\/","title":{"rendered":"Aberdeen students: \u2018Trump is not welcome\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Fred Byrne and Emily Reid<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Aberdeen students have spoken out as the US President arrives in Scotland for a four-day visit, where he is due to meet Starmer in Aberdeen.<\/p>\n

84% of Aberdeen students say that Donald Trump is not welcome, according to The Gaudie\u2019s<\/i> poll of 184 respondents, <\/i>with students responding that Trump is \u201cfascist\u201d and a \u201cf***ing c***\u201d.<\/p>\n

Protesters will gather<\/a> tomorrow (Saturday) at 12 noon by the William Wallace Statue at Union Terrace, Aberdeen. Led by the Stop Trump Coalition, the demonstration will see climate, disabled, and LGBTQ+ activists speak alongside union leaders and supporters of Ukraine and Palestine.<\/p>\n

Student President Christina Schmid said that she was \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d by Trump\u2019s visit, \u201cparticularly when universities including Harvard are being targeted for fostering critical thought.”<\/p>\n

Christina added that Trump represents \u201cthe kind of politics we reject\u201d asserting \u201cour campus and city deserve better.\u201d The Students\u2019 Union leader challenged Trump\u2019s values:<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s track record and policies are a threat to our inclusive student community built on values of equality, respect, and welcoming students of all backgrounds, cultures and nationalities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Student
Student President Christina Schmid (Photo: Lara Nicolis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Police Scotland say they are prepared for a complex operation amid concerns of understaffing. Students have seen uniformed officers arriving in police vans to stay at Hillhead Student Village.<\/p>\n

Nour Elshenaway, The Gaudie<\/i> Editor in Chief, shared:<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s legacy in Aberdeen is marked by broken promises, environmental damages, and a deep sense of local resentment, making his return far from welcome. He promised thousands of jobs when he built his first golf course in Aberdeenshire, but the reality has fallen far short. Locals were sold a dream that never came true.\u201d<\/p>\n

A history student from the US told us they \u201cfled America to escape Trump\u201d and is upset by Trump\u2019s trip to Aberdeen.<\/p>\n

Some students were hesitant to share comments with The Gaudie<\/i>, citing concerns about their ability to enter the USA.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Gaudie Trump poll results<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An undergraduate chemistry student shared:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a racist, homophobic, transphobic bigot, rapist and the instigator of an attempted coup against American democracy.”<\/p>\n

Donald Trump has been found liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, and has shown support for insurrectionists who broke into the US Capitol after his 2020 election loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a horrible human being who has used illegal measures to separate families and treat certain immigrants as second-class citizens\u201d continued the chemistry student, referencing the Trump Administration\u2019s defiance of court orders and deportation of individuals without due process.<\/p>\n

However, not all students stand against Trump, with 9% of students saying he is welcome.<\/p>\n

Politics and International Relations student Soham shared:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs leader of our closest ally, Trump is most certainly welcome to Aberdeen and should be welcomed with great dignity keeping with the spirit of our great Scottish hospitality. After all, he is the democratically elected President of the most powerful nation on earth, who are we to decide whether the President should be welcomed to Britain or his own property?\u201d<\/p>\n

On his visit, Trump is expected to open his second Aberdeenshire golf course<\/a> named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born on the Isle of Lewis. This week, a sign reading \u201ctwinned with Epstein island\u201d was placed by the golf course entrance.<\/p>\n

\"A
A sign placed at Trump’s golf course (Source: Everyone Hates Elon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sarith, an Economics student, said: \u201cMr. Trump\u2019s visit and continued investment in left-behind parts of Scotland is welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aberdeen University Conservatives shared a statement in favour of Trump\u2019s support for fossil fuels:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UK Government must make clear that we cannot afford to abandon oil and gas without a credible transition plan. Doing so puts jobs, energy security, and our economic stability at risk. We urge Keir Starmer to listen to the people of the North East and not repeat the mistakes of the SNP-Green coalition, whose hostility to oil and gas has already hurt investment and confidence in this region.”<\/p>\n

In a recent BBC interview, Trump urged Scotland to \u201cget rid of the windmills.<\/a>\u201d Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce has called<\/a> on the US president to persuade Starmer to ditch a 78% tax on energy profits.<\/p>\n

Back in the US, Trump\u2019s \u2018Big Beautiful Bill\u2019, passed on July 4th, repeals several of the Biden administration\u2019s clean energy initiatives, increasing subsidies to the oil and gas industry. According to the Centre for American Progress, the act repeals lifesaving incentives for better weather resilience, energy efficiency, and air quality.<\/p>\n

Zoology student Cerys said, \u201cTrump has shown a complete disregard for wildlife conservation and protection efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Lucas Smith Grant of Aberdeen Socialist Students shared:<\/p>\n

“As a city suffering from eroded public services, a lack of affordable housing, a failing local economy, and insufficient local health services, there are far more pressing areas where our money should be going. Trump and Starmer should be made to feel unwelcome from the moment of their arrival.”<\/p>\n

Student President Christina Schmid sharply criticised Trump:<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom his stance on immigration to his approach to human rights and climate, the impact of his politics has been felt through rising division, fear, and hostility not just in the US, but globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s attitude towards higher education, and his role in fuelling anti-intellectualism, is a direct threat to the kind of environment students need to thrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time of ongoing mass deportations and increasing hostility toward marginalised communities, we must be clear: we stand for anti-racism, for democracy, and for a society where no one is made to feel unsafe or unwelcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Stop Trump Coalition call on the Scottish First Minister John Swinney and British PM Keir Starmer, who are due to meet the US President, to \u201cstand up to Trumpism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Donald
Donald Trump (Photo by Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Campaigners urged people to attend protests, planned in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumfries and at Trump’s golf courses: \u201cWe call on everyone to join us and protest Trump, his politics and his ushering of a global far right. We gather to call for real democracy, for climate action, and for just peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Fred Byrne and Emily Reid Aberdeen students have spoken out as the US President arrives in Scotland for a four-day visit, where he is due to meet Starmer in Aberdeen. 84% of Aberdeen students say that Donald Trump is not welcome, according to The Gaudie\u2019s poll of 184 respondents, with students responding that Trump […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":5815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","iawp_total_views":69,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[234,201,235,183],"wf_post_folders":[181],"class_list":{"0":"post-5806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-donald-trump","9":"tag-students-union","10":"tag-trump","11":"tag-university-of-aberdeen"},"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Gaudie Staff","author_link":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/author\/gaudie-staff\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/stc-demo-scot-2048x1024-1-300x150.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["News<\/a>"],"unlinked":["News<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Donald Trump<\/a>","Students' Union<\/a>","Trump<\/a>","University of Aberdeen<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Donald Trump<\/span>","Students' Union<\/span>","Trump<\/span>","University of Aberdeen<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 year ago","modified":"Updated 1 year ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on 25 July 2025","modified":"Updated on 31 July 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on 25 July 2025 13:01","modified":"Updated on 31 July 2025 21:25"},"featured_img_caption":"Anti-Trump protest poster (Source: Stop Trump Coalition)","series_order":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5806"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5932,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5806\/revisions\/5932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5806"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gaudie.co.uk\/wpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=5806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}