Donald Trump is in the middle of a five-day official visit to Scotland, which mainly includes promotional events benefiting his private golf courses and is estimated to cost at least 10 million dollars, to be covered by American taxpayers, according to HuffPost.
PUBLICIDAD
Among the factors considered are the operating cost of Air Force One, the transportation of vehicles and helicopters, and additional payments to security personnel. Despite the magnitude of the expenditure, the White House has not confirmed whether Trump will reimburse any portion to the Treasury.
PUBLICIDAD
During his stay, Trump will visit his facilities in Aberdeen and Turnberry, both located on the Scottish coast. The stop in Aberdeen coincides with the opening of a second 18-hole golf course, a project he has been promoting for years. According to past statements recalled by The Associated Press, Trump considers this region one of his favorite places and expressed his intention to carry out a “beautiful” development there in the future.
At 79 years old, on his return to the presidency, Trump seems to be materializing part of that vision. He is expected to participate in the inauguration of the new field on August 13, while his family company coordinates the preparations.
Business promotion in a presidential context
The president’s agenda also includes diplomatic meetings. It is expected that he will hold discussions on tariffs with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. However, the focus is on using the trip as a platform to advertise his personal properties.
In September, Trump will indeed make a State visit to the United Kingdom, making this trip to Scotland the most expensive personal getaway in any of his terms, according to HuffPost. With this trip, spending on golf during his second term amounts to over 52 million dollars, although in his first term he had already accumulated a total of 152 million in visits to his own resorts.
Criticism for conflicts of interest
Various voices have expressed concern about the use of public resources for private benefit. Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer under Republican George W. Bush’s administration, criticized the president for “using the presidency to promote his golf courses”. Jordan Libowitz, from the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, stated that “a president should not be trying to make money overseas while in office”.
Presidential spokesperson Taylor Rogers defended the trip as a “working visit”, highlighting the quality of the golf courses developed by Trump. She added that they are world-class facilities, chosen for international tournaments and preferred by high-level players.
The Trump Organization, currently managed by the president’s children through a trust, has finalized commercial agreements in countries such as Qatar and Vietnam, in parallel to diplomatic negotiations of the government with those nations.
In any case, Trump is not the first president to visit Scottish golf courses during his term, but what is different are the personal commercial benefits he can achieve. Dwight D. Eisenhower, for example, played at Turnberry in 1959, while George W. Bush was at Gleneagles in 2005, although he did not play.
The relationship between Scotland and golf has deep historical roots. Documents from the Scottish Parliament dating back to 1457 already mentioned the game while attempting to ban it along with football, for fear that it would distract men from practicing archery, which was essential for the country’s defense at that time.