Trump spends the inauguration day in Scotland? Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon responds to the rumors and warns that golf isn’t necessary for travel.
Could the US president, on his last full day in office, make his way to ancestral Scotland to hit the rings in his closed resort, and perhaps miss the inauguration ceremony?
But on Tuesday, Scotland’s leader, First Minister Nicolas Sturgeon, was asked if Trump was on her way, and what was her message to him?
In her daily News briefing„I have no idea Donald Trump’s travel plans, you’ll be happy to know,” Sturgeon said.
Then she added, „I hope and expect that his immediate travel plan is to leave the White House, but after that I do not know.”
Finally, Sturgeon warned Trump that he might be breaking the law if he came: “We are not letting people enter Scotland now without a primary purpose, which is what applies to him, just as it applies to everyone else. Coming to play golf is not what I consider a primary purpose.”
Scotland, along with Northern Ireland, Wales and England Full closure, With stay-at-home orders, letting people go out just for basic work or shopping, get a little exercise and attend medical appointments. Hospitals here are filling up quickly as infections increase, driven by a new type of virus, which is 50 to 70 percent more infections.
As for Trump’s plans for Biden’s inauguration on January 20 – or his travel plans the day before – the White House has not been in the spotlight.
“Anonymous sources claiming to know or not think of the president have no idea. White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a written statement,“ When President Trump makes an announcement about his plans for January 20, he will inform you. ”
Where Trump and his family members will go and where they will live has not been announced.
The Trump Organization has two golf resorts in Scotland, and one of the resorts closest to Glasgow Prestwick Airport is Trump Turnberry, a 112-year-old Scottish resort that he bought in 2014.
Turnberry, which includes a large Edwardian hotel plus a historic seaside golf course, is one of the biggest sources of income among Trump’s tiny empire of hotels and clubs.
Trump has spent more than $ 218 million on the property so far – $ 67 million to purchase it in 2014, then loaned the property another $ 150 million to keep it operating since then. But the club has never made a profit, according to public filings: Even in the boom times of 2019, it has lost about $ 3 million this year.
The resort has yet to release 2020 data, but it appears to have been devastated by the pandemic, which has caused the club to close for weeks in the spring – and then again this winter, as Scotland enters another strict lockdown.
If Trump plans to visit Turnberry in January, he will likely find it empty: The resort’s website now says, „To ensure the health and safety of our guests and partners, we have made the difficult decision to remain closed until Friday, February 5, 2021.”
The Trump Organization, which the president still has, did not respond to a request for comment.
Vahrentold reported from Washington.