The coastal village with vast beaches that’s the birthplace of Donald Trump’s mother

US President Donald Trump has strong family roots in Scotland through his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod.

Mary Anne was born in 1912 in this small village, about three miles from Stornoway. Like many Scots in the early 1900s, she left her island home in search of a better life in America.

In 1936, she married Frederick Trump, a successful property developer and the son of German immigrants.

She grew up on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides before leaving for New York in 1930, at the age of 18, to find work as a domestic servant.

The couple went on to have five children, with Donald Trump, known locally as Donald John, being their fourth. Mary Anne became a US citizen in 1942 and lived to the age of 88, passing away in 2000.

Although Donald Trump has often spoken about his Scottish heritage, his mother’s home village hasn’t always welcomed him warmly.

Her family came from nearby Vatisker, just north of Tong, where the MacLeods on her father’s side originated.

Tong has a proud and distinctive history, both politically and culturally.

VisitScotland describes the Isle of Lewis and Harris as “a place of dramatic landscapes, rich Gaelic culture and fascinating history, where you’ll find wild mountains, vast white beaches, rugged coastlines and almost otherworldly scenery.”

Between 1919 and 1921, Tong and nearby villages Coll and Gress became the centre of a series of land raids.

During these uprisings, local crofters took back control of the land by planting crops and dividing sheep farms into small fields for families to work.

Because of these events, Tong’s people became known for their bold and rebellious spirit. In a 1990s list of Stornoway slang, residents of Tong were still jokingly referred to as “Bolshiveeks.”

In recent years, locals have expressed disappointment that Donald Trump hasn’t shown much support for the area his mother once called home, especially when compared to the kindness shown by his sister and mother in the past.

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