The Troubled History of Donald Trump’s Scottish Golf Courses

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Former president Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Monday to open a new golf course at his resort near Aberdeen.

Trump, whose mother, Mary, was born on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides before moving to the US, declared “it’s great to be home” after arriving at Aberdeen airport with his son Eric on Monday morning .

Trump later cut the ribbon to mark the work on the second course at the Menie Estate in Balmedie in Aberdeenshire, which the former president said would be dedicated to his late mother.

Trump will also visit his Irish golf courses in his first trip abroad since becoming the first US president in history to be criminally indicted in early April on allegations of falsifying business records in connection with hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels. No travel restrictions were placed on Trump when he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in New York as a condition of his release from custody last month.

Former US President Donald Trump arrives at Aberdeen Airport as Sarah Malone, executive vice-president of Trump International Golf Links Scotland, is seen in the background in Aberdeen, Scotland, on May 1, 2023. Jeff J Mitchell//Getty Images

Trump’s trip also coincided with a sexual battery and defamation civil trial over accusations that he sexually assaulted former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll then defamed her character while repeatedly denying the accusations. Trump is not obligated to attend the trial in person.

The former president is also under investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office over allegations that The Trump Organization inflated the value of his Scottish golf resorts, as well as several other properties and assets. He denies the accusations and often calls the James investigation a “witch hunt.”

Trump has often faced opposition in Scotland over his Turnberry resorts in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire. Trump spent more than $300 million on buying money and developing Scottish resorts, none of which were profitable.

Over the years, Trump has faced calls to investigate how he bought the properties, and has faced criticism over the destruction of local sand dune systems.

‘McMafia’ Review

In 2021, a campaign group sought a judicial review of the Scottish government’s refusal to investigate how Trump bought golf courses in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire for cash.

US-based non-profit activism organization Avaaz has filed a petition in Scotland’s highest civil court to pursue an Unexplained Wealth Order against Trump—a court order issued by a British court to compel an individual to reveal the sources of their finances, also known as a “McMafia,” after the Scottish Parliament voted 89-to-32 against a similar motion in February 2021.

A legal bid to investigate Trump’s purchase of Scottish golf courses was eventually rejected by a court in November 2021. There are now renewed calls for the Scottish government and Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf to pursue a Unexplained Wealth Order against Trump amid his latest visit to the country.

“Donald Trump’s past visits have cost us millions in policing costs. They are the most expensive rounds of golf in history,” Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur said in a statement.

A file photo shows Donald Trump waving while playing golf at the Trump Turnberry Luxury Collection Resort during the President’s first official visit to the United Kingdom on July 14, 2018 in Turnberry, Scotland. Leon Neal/Getty Images

“The Scottish Government has refused to review the finances involved in Donald Trump’s purchase of the Turnberry golf course. The new First Minister should consider whether to reverse that decision.”

Loss of Protected Status

In December 2020, the Nature Agency of Scotland confirmed that the dunes around the Trump International golf course in Aberdeenshire had been stripped of their protected status as a result of damage caused by the construction of the resort.

For years, environmental groups have criticized Trump and his golf course for destroying the unique character during construction of the resort that opened in 2012. The site was built on a system of sand dunes that shifted to coast and home to diverse plant life. , with the surrounding dune system on the Menie Estate designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

In July 2018, Scottish Natural Heritage admitted that the dune systems around Trump’s Aberdeenshire resort had been “partially destroyed” as a result of the construction of the course, as reported by The Guardian. The following year, the dune system at the Menie Estate lost its protected privilege as damage to the area meant there was “no longer any reason to protect the dunes” at Menie as they did not include enough features where they is assigned.

“Trump International Golf Links Scotland has undertaken the delivery of nature conservation management at the golf course and we appreciate the work they have done to protect the remaining rare habitats and the rare plants on their site; however they no longer have sufficient scientific interest to gain special protection,” Scotland’s Nature Agency said in a statement.

Wind Power Legal Costs

Following a year-long battle, Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf resort was forced to pay the Scottish government’s legal costs in 2019 after losing a court ruling over the development of a wind farm on the coast near the resort.

Trump first opposed proposals to build 11 turbines off the Aberdeenshire coast in 2013, and spent years fighting the decision to grant planning permission as part of a major North Sea wind power development, arguing that the turbines would ruin the view from his Golf Course.

In 2019, judges ruled that Trump International Golf Club Scotland Ltd must pay the Scottish government’s legal fees, without disclosing the total of the fees.

Letitia James Tax Fraud Investigation

In September 2022, New York AG James announced that he had filed a $250 million lawsuit against Trump, three of his children—Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump—and two senior executives at the Trump Organization. These alarming allegations are that Trump and his company fraudulently inflated or understated the value of his properties in order to obtain benefits such as better bank loans and reduced tax bills.

James detailed numerous examples where Trump allegedly fraudulently inflated his properties, including his golf resorts in Scotland.

In 2014, Trump valued his Aberdeenshire golf club at $327 million. However, this valuation is said to have been reached on the assumption that he has the right to build 2,500 luxury homes in the area, despite his approval to build fewer than 1,500 holiday apartments and golf villas.

Trump also allegedly valued the Trump International Golf Links Scotland resort in Turnberry using the fixed-assets scheme, meaning it did not take into account any depreciation of the asset between 2017 and 2021.

New York prosecutors said Trump’s valuation was “false and misleading” because the golf course has run at a loss every year since it opened in 2017.

The Trump Organization was reached for comment by email.

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