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TURNBERRY, Scotland – A traveling press conference. Reporters piling in golf carts and running along the fairways trying to follow. A protester dispersing golf balls marked with swastikas.
The last time Donald Trump traveled to Scotland was in 2016, a few hours after the Brexit vote and shortly thereafter he became the presumptive Republican presidential candidate. He created a media maelstrom while he was holding court with the press, compared pro-Brexit voters to his supporters and campaigned with promoting business in a way that was Trump's signature.
This time his trip will probably be less dramatic, as he spends the weekend out of the limelight preparing for his high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Knowing Trump, there will probably be golf on the calendar too.
Connection to Scotland, the country of birth of his mother. It has two championship-level golf resorts in the country, including the Turnberry waterfront. But since he 's ventured to Scotland a dozen years ago, Trump has lost money and fought battles with long – time residents, wind farms and farms. local politicians. "President Trump probably knows this country better than any president." Robert "Woody" Johnson, ambassador to the UK, told reporters before Trump's trip.
Trump's mother, born Mary McLeod, was born in Stornoway, a place that Trump calls "serious Scotland". The queen and the "pomp and circumstance" of events such as royal weddings.
"Whenever the queen was on television, my mother wanted to watch her," he told the Sun.
He faced endless opposition as he worked to renovate the Turnberry Resort on the west coast and develop Trump International Golf Links Scotland in Aberdeen.
David Milne, whose property overlooks Trump International Links, predicted The President's visit was the same as the one he made the last time Trump appeared: waving the Mexican national flag on his house for the first time. club to protest against Trump's radical views on immigration
"He is the president of an allied country, we and we must give some respect to the president's office, although we believe that the Holder is a complete idiot, "said Milne. But, he added, "it would be better for a lot of people to stay home and save fuel."
Anger against Trump was particularly hot in Aberdeen, where Trump's plans were mired in controversy. The neighbors accused Trump of harassment and intimidation to get them to sell land, and a local fisherman became a national hero when he refused to sell to Trump, despite an offer of $ 690,000
Trump organization was initially refused to build on legally protected dunes, but the Scottish government finally granted permission to create about 6,000 jobs, a five-star hotel with 450 rooms and two golf courses worth 1 billion pounds ($ 1.3 billion) Until now, only one course has been built with a clubhouse and a 16-room boutique hotel.
Nature's advocates also claim that the course may damage an important site. 39, special scientific interest. And a few months before Trump won the Republican nomination, he lost the battle to stop an offshore wind farm near the seaside resort of the North Sea.
Trump likes to brag about properties – at a press conference at the NATO summit in Brussels he called Turnberry "a magical place" – they also lost money. A financial report filed by Trump with the British government last year showed that he had lost millions of dollars on both properties and the losses had more than doubled in 2016 to 17.6 million. pounds ($ 23 million). It was the third consecutive year of losses. Asked about the losses suffered, The Trump Organization sent out a statement stating Turnberry's positives: "Trump Turnberry is one of the most spectacular properties in the world and we are incredibly proud of its continued success. Ailsa, which hosts four open championships including the famous 1977 "Duel in the Sun", was recently ranked 10th in the world by Golf Digest and 16th in the world by Golf magazine.
On his last visit to Scotland, Trump created a show made for television while he was holding a press conference at his course in Aberdeen. Reporters in golf carts followed Trump as he was moving from one hole to another, holding the yard along the way. The event also doubled as an advertisement for the course, with Trump boasting his views of the North Sea as among "the great views of the world."
Trump also passed the visit hailing the British vote to leave the European Union, and drawing parallels between Brexit voters and anger leading his own presidential campaign. This, despite the fact that Scotland voted against Brexit.
"I like to see people bring back their country," he said at a press conference marking Turnberry's $ 200 million rehabilitation. the hotel but they were far from the candidate and of course. But a man wearing a fleece from Turnberry briefly interrupted the press conference by throwing a box of golf balls sporting the Nazi logo.
This time the anti-Trump organizers planned a series of demonstrations. Among them: a "carnival of resistance" in front of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Saturday, should attract bus demonstrators from all over the country. Other more modest events were also planned, especially outside the president's golf courses. Police Scotland has assembled 5,000 police officers to provide additional security, for a maximum cost of 5 million pounds ($ 6.6 million).
Kirsty Haigh of Scotland United Against Trump said: "Trump likes to talk about his Scottish relations, but we are going to show that his policy is not welcome here."
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Jonathan Lemire , associate editor of The Associated Press, contributed to this report
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This document may not be published, distributed, rewritten or redistributed.
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