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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Stuart Wilson

Donald Trump prepares for visit to Turnberry golf resort as part of Scottish trip

Donald Trump is preparing to jet into Ayrshire as he returns to visit his Turnberry golf resort.

The former President of the United States is expected to land in Scotland this weekend with a trip to his Menie estate in Aberdeenshire also on the cards.

It comes hot on the heels of last week's FBI raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida where agents removed 11 sets of classified documents.

Mr Trump has called the investigation a “witch-hunt”.

But now he is expected to make his first return to his beloved Carrick resort, which he bought back in 2014.

Mr Trump and his family organisation has since ploughed £250 million into renovating the golf courses, hotel and spa into a world-renowned location.

Police are braced for protests at the resort and will mount a large-scale operation following anti-Trump demonstrations during his last visit while President in 2018.

Back then, son Eric Trump – who runs the Turnberry operation – told the Ayrshire Post: “I’m a proud son and I couldn’t wait to show him what we’ve achieved here.

“It was great just to see him relax and play some golf for a few hours. You never truly relax in his job, but it was obvious how much he enjoyed it.

“We played the Ailsa course together and it was the most magical day without a cloud in the sky. He was blown away and so impressed.

“He’s incredibly proud of it [Turnberry]. You just can’t beat what has been done here in the last few years.

"What we’ve done is make Turnberry the best property in the world with one of the best courses in the world. People appreciate that."

But Mr Trump has been warned he is likely to face criticism during his visit.

The Scottish National Party said: “It’s very clear that Trump’s views and actions do not align with the values of people across Scotland. Any visit he makes is unlikely to be welcomed.”

Prestwick Airport chiefs are on heightened alert to welcome the Trump entourage, which could include the self-styled 'Trump Force One' jet.

South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth claims the former president should reconsider his trip.

“I think people would prefer if he just stayed away from Scotland altogether," he said.

"Trump has been an absentee owner since he bought Turnberry and with huge losses year on year, the Trump Organisation has been as big a failure at running the resort as Trump was as president.

“But that’s not an excuse for landing the taxpayer with any bills for a visit. He should be picking up the bill for these trips.”

But South Ayrshire Council leader, Martin Dowey, defended Trump's right to visit and said: "As someone who has invested significantly in South Carrick over the last eight years, he has helped to support many jobs in the area."

Sarah Malone, executive vice-president of Trump International (Scotland) said: “Not only has President Trump served the American people in the highest office, he is also a huge investor into the Scottish leisure and tourism economy, attracting significant tourist money to Scotland.”

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