YOU’LL have had your President then? To be fair, it wasn’t Edinburgh’s fault that President Barack Obama’s first visit to the capital city of Scotland was something of a damp squib for the people who had waited to greet him.
Understandably, in light of the events of last week, security took precedence and his presence at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) having been widely advertised, meant there was nervousness from those in charge.
The National can reveal that the presidential motorcade, complete with Secret Service personnel – his codename for them is “Renegade” – pulled in to the conference centre’s underground car park long before he was supposed to arrive.
Hundreds of sightseers and celebrity supporters left disappointed when they were told by police after 6pm that the President was already in the building and would not be coming out.
The crowd mostly took the news with good humour though one couple from Fife were a bit miffed. “We could have gone to see him at St Andrews this morning if we had known he was there”, said a gentleman from the Kingdom. “So I am pretty angry.”
Many of the onlookers were confused by the fact that the great and the good rolling up for the charity dinner at which Obama was due to speak were sidetracked into the Atria office block to divest themselves of their hoodies and parkas.
Once inside the EICC, they sat at tables which cost £5,000 a pop. The entertainment included the band Texas and comedian Kevin Bridges whose Glaswegian nuances might have been a problem for the former denizen of the White House.
Earlier in the day, Obama touched down in a private jet at Edinburgh airport and was whisked away to St Andrews for a round of golf over the Old Course, the mecca for any golfer.
Bathed in sunshine, the course looked its best, and Obama interrupted his rounds to speak to bystanders and even bought a refreshment from a mobile emporium whose owner gained a unique selfie.
Then it was on to Edinburgh for a dinner organised by the Sir Tom Hunter foundation. Previous US stars to visit the capital have included George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio.
One bystander quipped: “There will not be this palaver for when Trump comes.”
If Obama returns perhaps he could consider visiting Riverside Primary in Stirling. Six-year-old Ashoon Fatema and members of his family had hoped to see him at the EICC. Anoosh had written a letter to Obama and wanted to hand it over. It read “Barack Obama, Edinburgh, We Love You.”
He then revealed that he had once made a speech in front of another important person – his award for winning a reading challenge at school.
Asked who that important person was, he replied simply: “Nicola”. Oh, and she was at the dinner, too.
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