Turnberry prepares for arrival of ex-President Donal Trump
By Chris Jewers For Mailonline 06:55 EDT 02 May 2023
Trump swings into action! Ex-President Trump tips staff in dollars then plays a round on the Turnberry golf course after arriving to beefed up security, pipers and staff in faux MAGA hat: Comes as NYC judge dismisses call for a mistrial in his rape case
Trump was spotted tipping a staff member at one of his two Scottish golf resorts today before swinging into action on the course.
The former president was greeted by staff - including chefs and security - who were waiting on the steps leading up to the hotel as he arrived at the Turnberry estate on Scotland's west coast earlier today.
Many were seen wearing red hats in the style of Trump's trademark MAGA caps, but instead they read 'We Made Turnberry Great Again'.
Trump himself wore a MAGA (Make American Great Again) cap as he shook hands with the staff and officials from the club, which his company purchased in 2014.
After spending some time in the hotel on the site, the embattled ex-president donned his golfing attire before hitting the course. He was spotted handing a small roll of dollars over to a caddy (despite Scotland using British pounds), before showing off his best swing on the famous course.
His arrival at Turnberry came after he opened a new course on the country's opposite coast which he named after his late mother, and as Scottish lawmakers were called upon to revisit a probe into how he was able to purchase the two resorts.The calls came as Trump is also facing mounting legal troubles at home, which have grown significantly since his last visit to Scotland in 2018 during his time as president - which saw a massive security breach.
His legal issues involve hush money payments to a porn star, as well as accusations of election interference and illegal retention of classified documents.
Trump, who is running for the Presidency in 2024, is on a two-day visit to Scotland where he opened a course at a second controversial golf resort in Aberdeenshire on Monday.
Trump, saying ahead of his arrival on his Truth Social platform that he was visiting the country to cut the ribbon on the 'spectacular' but controversial second golf course.
He and his son Eric arrived on Trump Force Once - his private Boeing 757-200 - and were greeted by two pipers, a red carpet and a 10-vehicle motorcade.
Before getting into a waiting car said: 'It's great to be home, this was the home of my mother'.
Pictures later showed him at the Menie resort sporting a blue, woolen bobble had over his distinctive yellow mop - shovel in hand - as he broke ground on his new course - named the MacLeod course, after his mother Mary Anne MacLeod.
She was born on the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles before emigrating to the US.
Trump's company purchased Turnberry in Ayrshire in 2014 from a Dubai-based company for an undisclosed fee. Despite still being in the development phase, he purchased the Menie, Aberdeenshire resort back in 2006. The Scottish government decided not to pursue an Unexplained Wealth Order in relation to the purchase of the two resorts in 2021.
Yousaf, Scotland's justice secretaryat the time, told the country's parliament at the time that it would bean abuse of power to launch such a probe. According to The Herald, Trump - who in most other projects he bankrolls takes out large loans in order to finance them - instead spent more than £300 million in cash.
Neither of his two Scottish clubs turn a profit, the newspaper reports.
Now, the Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling on the investigation to look again at the purchases. Liam McArthur, the Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson, said: 'Donald Trump's previous visits have cost us millions in policing costs. They were the most expensive rounds of golf in history. (He was President, so yes that’s what happens.)
'The Scottish Government have refused to probe the finances involved in Donald Trump's purchase of the Turnberry golf course.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that Trump would be giving his only interview during his visit to the UK to GB News, and presenter Nigel Farage, a British broadcaster and former politician who was one of the main backers of the Brexit campaign. The interview will air at 7p.m. GMT on Wednesday, broadcast life from Turnberry, before he heads to his golf course at Doonbeg, Co Clare, on Ireland's west coast.
On Monday, pictures and video from his Menie resort - officially called Trump International Golf Links, Scotland - showed typical American fanfare associated with Trump's public appearance, with a Scottish twist….
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12036733/Turnberry-prepares-arrival-ex-President-Donal-Trump.html