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GLASGOW – On Monday, President Trump will hold a reunion with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin a few days after the announcement of the indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officers accused of having hacked democratic organizations in order to influence the election of 2016.
But first, a little golf.
Trump was hidden by US media members who were traveling with him here – but not British journalists who captured protesters on a nearby beach shouting, "No Trump, no KKK, no of racist USA ". Saturday at Trump Turnberry, the luxury resort where he stays.
The group sang through windswept meadows and a protective pad of dozens of law enforcement officials, some of whom were on horseback. According to footage captured by the BBC, the president seemed to greet the crowd before returning to his golf game.
Thousands of Edinburgh protested Saturday against his visit – where the balloon "Trump Baby" made its appearance – and the Scottish police confirmed that they were looking for a paraglider with a banner bearing the mention "Trump Well Below Below" who had violated a no-fly zone over the Turnberry station after the president's arrival Friday night.
Trump for the most part ignored the big rallies against him in the UK, focusing instead on promoting the Turnberry station, describing it as "magical" on the world stage last week at the top of the world. NATO in Brussels and on a working visit
Before arriving in Scotland – the birthplace of his mother, as well as that of Mr. Trump's favorite pastime – the president managed to hook up to several Turnberry times, one of the two Scottish resorts that bear his name.
This is a tactic that has alarmed the guardians of ethics, who claim to use his presidential platform to promote a remedy that, according to the financial documents, has been a burden to the authorities. While the president led the way in Europe last week, Turnberry has received special recognition amidst other sound clips released by Trump, analysts said. undermined US relations with close NATO allies.
At a hastily held news conference in Brussels, when he was invited to discuss his departure from the European Union, Mr Trump said: a thought that He would later stinkily lose weight in an interview on the cover of the British tabloid The Sun. Then Mr. Trump wove a reference to Turnberry, on breathtaking cliffs and cliffs on the west coast of Scotland, the "magic caller" and "one of my favorite places."
"I'm going there for two days while I wait for Monday's meeting" with Mr. Putin, the president told the media.
Trump said he would take calls and meetings before the scheduled meeting with Mr. Putin in Helsinki, Finland. But by the time he hit one of the resort's two golf courses on Saturday, his official account began appearing on Twitter.
He once again connected the Turnberry Golf Course: "The Weather Is Beautiful", wrote ] on Twitter, "and this place is amazing!"
Ethics experts tend to be cynical about the president's sentimental references: his arrival at Turnberry marks the 169th day of his presidency when he visited a property or scarred by the Trump organization. Financial records show that the station has lost money since Mr. Trump bought it in 2014.
"I see this as a kind of forced subsidy of an infomercial for his Properties, "Norman L. Eisen, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in an interview Friday. "He's trying to use his trip to get some good public relations"
Before Mr. Trump left for Scotland on Friday, he again referred to Turnberry at a press conference in England with British Prime Minister Theresa May. opening Turnberry the day before Brexit, "Mr. Trump said," and all they wanted to talk about was Brexit, and I said, "I think Brexit would arrive," and it has happened. "
"Look, if the pound lower, they will do more business, "said Mr. Trump." When the pound goes down, more people come to Turnberry, frankly. "
Although Mr. Trump claimed to have spent at least 200 million pounds, about $ 264 million, on Turnberry to buy and renovate it since 2014 – a figure that has not been independently verified – the course has not yet made any profit .
In fact, Operation Turnberry has lost tens of millions of livr Since its purchase, deposits in Great Britain show: about 17 million pounds in 2016, the last year for which such comprehensive records are available. For 2017, Trump 's government ethics record only reveals the revenue generated by the price – $ 20.4 million – and not the profits made.
This is not the first time that Mr. Trump has been visiting a Trump-owned resort. traveling in his capacity as president. During a 13-day trip to Asia, the president made a 10-minute visit to the Trump International Hotel Waikiki complex.
"The President stopped in front of the Trump Hotel to get to the airport," Sarah Huckabee Sanders White House spokeswoman said in a statement on Monday. ;time. "It was an extremely successful project, and he wanted to say hello and thank you to the employees for their hard work."
An analysis of this trip by the Associated Press showed that Mr. Trump's stopover cost almost $ 141,000, or more than $ 100 a minute. The stop of the president's hotel itself cost the taxpayers $ 1,000.
When we spoke to him about Turnberry Friday, the Trump organization described a success story. In an email, Amanda Miller, a spokesperson, pointed out some of Turnberry's golfing traditions – including the 1977 British Open Championship, highly publicized between legendary golfers Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus
"Turnberry is an icon in the world of golf, and we are incredibly proud of its continued success, "wrote Miller, who said," The famous Ailsa golf course, has hosted four open championships, including the famous " "Sun Duel" of 1977. "
Miller did not respond to a request for comment on how the company rated success if the records showed that she was losing money.
Trump seems to have a special place in his heart for Turnberry, perhaps because of his love for golf and his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, born in Tong, a village located 300 miles from Turnberry, at North of Scotland.
"I feel very comfortable here", said Mr. Trump during a 2008 visit to Tong, on the island of Lewis, where he spent about 90 seconds in the modest cottage where his mother was born. "It's interesting when your mother, who was a wonderful woman, comes from a specific place, you tend to like this place.I think I'm Scottish."
Six years later Mr. Trump bought Turnberry for a reported $ 63 million, and paid out millions of extra dollars in club restoration.
When Air Force One landed in Scotland on Friday, he flew by a plane sporting the "TRUMP" logo, at the sight of hundreds of local residents who had gathered to see the president land. During his one hour drive to his resort, hundreds of spectators greeted and recorded the video of the arrival of the president.
The president and his wife, Melania, were not the only members of the Trump family in town: the Trump organization, was also in Turnberry. By the time Mr. Trump landed, his son posted a video of Turnberry's flagship on social media. In this one, a bagpiper plays on a cliff in the distance while the camera films towards the sea. Turnberry guests can stay in the lighthouse for around $ 1600 a night.
The Trump organization did not answer a question about the purpose of Eric Trump's visit, but it is closely related to the restoration efforts of the station
. Eisen, the president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, takes a more skeptical stance. He serves as a co-counsel in a lawsuit accusing the president of violating constitutional anti-corruption clauses aimed at limiting the benefits or emoluments granted by the government.
He considers the Trump family's efforts last week as a broader and problematic effort "Thanks to this trip to Turnberry," said Eisen, "the president is forcing his foreign hosts and the US to spend Huge amounts of money so that he can get free publicity for his station. "
" He is the master of the media earned, "added Eisen. "It's an important part of how he won the presidency, and that's what he's doing here."
Jesse Drucker and Karen Yourish contributed to reports from New York and Eric Lipton from Washington.
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