Greens push vote for council boycott of Trump visit to Scotland
Edinburgh City Council will be asked to boycott any visit from Donald Trump under a motion put forward by the Scottish Greens.
The party will ask councillors to back its calls that no local authority cash be used to host any events related to the US president’s trip to Scotland.
The motion, which will be debated on Thursday, condemns Mr Trump’s “emerging fascist state” and calls on members and officers to boycott the visit.
It states: “Edinburgh Council – its officers and members – will not, in any official capacity, be involved in a Donald Trump or JD Vance visit to Edinburgh and will not use its resources to support such a visit in any way.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer offered his American counterpart an “unprecedented” state visit last month as he attempts to build a relationship with him amid the threat of tariffs.
During his visit to the Oval Office, he presented Mr Trump – whose mother is from the Isle of Lewis – with a letter from the King.
In it, Charles proposed a meeting to discuss details of the state visit at either Dumfries House or Balmoral.
Scottish Green councillor Alex Staniforth said Mr Trump’s politics ran counter to the values of the nation’s capital.
He said: “Edinburgh is a welcoming and diverse city that stands with the communities being attacked by Donald Trump and the far right government that he leads.
“Donald Trump has shown a total contempt for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
“Our council does not have the power to stop him from visiting Edinburgh but we can ensure that he is not given the warm welcome he craves.
“There are millions of people across the US and beyond who are frightened for their friends and family who are having their rights eroded or removed by this White House. Those are the people we are standing with.
“We hope that all parties will join us in condemning the planned state visit and rejecting Donald Trump and the politics he represents.”
Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, added: “Donald Trump is no friend of Edinburgh. He is a racist, misogynist with a contempt for human rights and democracy.
“I hope that the council will unite around this call by Edinburgh’s Green councillors and send a loud and clear message that Donald Trump is not welcome here.”
The motion follows calls from First Minister John Swinney for Mr Trump’s second state visit to be rescinded due to his treatment of Ukraine.
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The US President, and his deputy, had a fiery exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month in which he was accused of disrespecting America and “gambling with World War Three”. Previously, Mr Trump had referred to the Ukrainian leader as a “dictator”.
He later blocked aid and intelligence to the nation before restoring it again.
