NPR Coverage of Trump Scotland Trip, Jeffrey Epstein Questions
NPR's Scott Simon and other reporters covered Donald Trump's trip to Scotland, focusing on the cost to Scottish taxpayers and Trump's past association with Jeffrey Epstein. Trump denied being briefed on the Epstein files and suggested the media focus on other associates of the sex offender.
npr· scott simon· jeffrey epstein· ghislaine maxwell· scotland
11:19 First of all, there's the overview clip we can play or not play which is Trump and Scotland NPR which is just their general clip. It doesn't have the good stuff. We need an overview just for prosperity. President Trump is in Scotland this weekend visiting his gulf resorts and meeting with British and European leaders a major security operation is underway for his visit with officers around the UK brought in to support Scottish police But some locals are concerned about the scale and cost of the operation. NPR's Fadimeh Al-Qassab reports. President Trump's visit to his golf courses on opposite sides of the country has prompted a major police operation around Scotland, which is expected to cost Scottish taxpayers millions of dollars. Kerry Walsh from Glasgow says she is not sure it's worth it
12:08 So much is being spent on him being here and I don't know what the benefit of him being here is, if I'm honest. The Scottish Police Union says resources are stretched and it may take officers much longer to respond to other incidents over the weekend as a result. Protesters are planning what they're calling a festival of resistance to the President's visit Oh well that's what we heard! A festival of resistance? That's almost a show title They're playing into the stereotype of the Scots being cheap bastards. With what? Oh, they're worried about their price! Oh it's so expensive... I thought that was kind of a- Now we have- We might as well play this Scott uh, we have Scott Simon. How could i not be ready for that?! I don't know how is beyond me. I don't even know where here he is I need to- Suffer and suck attach! I'm scott
13:05 Simon. President Trump is- So this is from the weekend show Up First, but I have it down here as The First And the clip, there's three clips here which has a punchline. The first NPR Trump in Scotland hit piece. In Scotland the home country of his late mother President Trump will be playing golf promoting the golf resorts he owns there and meeting with British and European leaders but questions about other things have followed him there. Gaza at the Federal Reserve His dead former friend, the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Wow! And there are protests... Wow his dead former friend wow uh is that good?
13:51 That is good. His dead former friend, the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein And there are protesters! And Pierce Lauren Frayer is at a demonstration in Edinburgh joins us from there. Lauren thanks for being with us Thanks for having me Scott What kind of welcome is the president receiving in Scotland? Well I'm outside the US consulate in Edinburgh where several hundred people gathered today There are Scottish bagpipers one of them is holding a sign that says At least this bag of hot air serves a purpose There are Palestinian flags over the crowd. I also see a sign that says Scotland is already great, a reference to making anything great again. Protest organizers here call this a festival of resistance. Here's protester Niamh Convin-Smith. Why on earth is this convicted
14:36 fifth People here say they're motivated by Trump's climate policy. In fact, some climate protesters actually abseiled belayed themselves on ropes down off a bridge here last night Others say they're protesting US policy in the Middle East Many Scots are also angry at the cost to taxpayers of Trump's visit here and there are even a few Jeffrey Epstein posters in the mix here Yeah Some of the headlines were Convicted Felon Visits Scotland
15:17 Oh those British tabloids. It's unbelievable, this is the kind of hit piece it's not news at all it's just a hit piece and it gets worse but it doesn't get to the third clip which is their real killer showing that they're there just they can't even do a good report this is the first NPR Trump in Scotland too. A topic that the president might have hoped to leave on his side of the Atlantic I should think But it's one of the things that the traveling press asked him about moments after Air Force One touched down here last night. Trump denied ever being briefed that his name might be in the Epstein files, he said he has the power to pardon Epstein's ex Ghislaine Maxwell who is in prison but that he hasn't thought about doing that and he said if you're gonna talk about Epstein
15:57 Talk about all of his friends, talk about the hedge fund guys that were with him all the time. Don't talk about Trump." So Trump was dodging questions about Epstein here but it's not just the media talking about this Scottish protesters stealthily put up a sign outside one of Trump's golf resorts here this week that says quote twinned with Epsteen Island The president does have deep family ties to Scotland as we mentioned His late mother was born and raised there Do Scots like to consider him a native son? Yeah, I mean his mother was born on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides Islands. A place that Trump wants on a visit called Serious Scotland and her first language was actually Gaelic. Trump has long owned golf resorts here so Scots have been well acquainted with him for a long time even before he became president. Trump says he loves Scotland but he's also
16:47 been critical of its environment policy for example he's called for the country to scrap what he calls windmills and renewable energy wind turbines. He considers them an eyesore, he's called on Scotland to double down on energy from fossil fuels instead. Oh man! Of course Scotland has a huge supply of fossil fuels off their coast yes It's called gas. I mean, it's a monster source and they do all this put up some windmills. It's pretty funny. And ruin the seascape! Ruin is so bad. So we go to this last clip which shows the kind of crappy reporting they're doing on NPR even though they run commercial after commercial...I have a couple of them on here about their needing more money This is the first Trump-Scott 3 WTF clip
17:37 And when you see if you can hear the slant, the way they slant a conclusion. Here's an Edinburgh bartender I spoke with Cam Page. The first thing that I saw going on about was the windmills and all that. It is a bit weird though. First thing he does when he comes here is just moaning in complaint He kind of just wants Trump to butt out his country's energy policy. He never said that He never said that. At the very end she makes up a conclusion the guy never said If the guy said he wants Trump to butt out of his energy policies, why doesn't... She has the guy on tape Why didn't she play that instead of saying it herself? Well she has to justify her reason for existence in Scotland on this trip On this gambit
18:28 So you got it goes to find yet. They said the bartender I saw I started clipping and I said, oh but did bartender will be down-to-earth joke around he says eyes You know he didn't say anything other than what do you expect from a bartender? And then she makes up a conclusion Oh It's unbelievable NPR we should defund them. Oh wait We already did yeah I since were on the on these guys the playing of Play a couple of these clips. This is the way the show starts, this clip is the first NPR Scott and Alicia.
19:08 He's teamed up, he only works on the weekends makes $400,000 plus a year. That really bothers you doesn't it? We only work two days a week we just don't make his kind of money but you know we have the same basic deal. No everybody at NPR makes 400 thousand a year and so they team him up with Alicia that would the black woman who just this creature And it must, I think they did it to torture him to be honest about it because he's so you know kind of... Old school broadcaster, but let's listen to this. Here is the classic opening. President Trump is in Scotland But it can't escape questions about Jeffrey Epstein You're making a very big thing over something that's not a big thing I'm Aisha Roscoe And I am Scott Simon and this up first from NPR News Trump and his allies call it Alligator Alcatraz The immigration detention center in Florida Everglades Now people being held there say guards are abusive That chicken sauce would have gone
