Trump Opens His Scotland Golf Course, Sparks Ethics Questions/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump’s trip to Scotland intertwines presidential responsibilities with promotion of his family’s golf business. The five-day visit includes political meetings and the grand opening of a new Trump golf course. Ethics watchdogs question the blurred lines between Trump’s public office and private ventures.
Trump’s Scotland Golf Visit + Quick Looks
- Trump lands in Scotland to open new golf course in Balmedie
- Trip includes meetings with UK PM Keir Starmer and EU leaders
- Eric Trump to lead ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new course
- White House calls it a “working trip,” despite business ties
- Ethics groups raise concerns over blending politics with private gain
- Trump’s Aberdeenshire course has faced legal and environmental issues
- Company continues foreign business deals under looser ethics policy
- Trump joins list of presidential golfers, some more discreet than others
Deep Look
Trump’s Scotland Golf Tour Blends Presidential Power With Business Branding
EDINBURGH, Scotland — President Donald Trump returned to Scotland this week for what the White House billed as a “working trip,” yet the itinerary revealed a familiar blending of presidential duty and private enterprise. Centered around the grand opening of a new Trump-branded golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, the visit spotlights the enduring entanglement between Trump’s political role and his family’s global business operations.
Arriving Friday evening, Trump brought with him a full presidential motorcade, an entourage of aides, Secret Service agents, and media, all under the guise of official diplomatic engagements. His message to Europe upon landing? Curb immigration and “stop the windmills,” reinforcing themes he’s long voiced at home.
But alongside planned meetings with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the trip’s centerpiece is unmistakably the new Trump golf course — scheduled to open formally on August 13. The president’s son, Eric Trump, is set to oversee the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He also accompanied Trump in 2023 during the initial groundbreaking.
A Business-Heavy Presidency
This latest outing adds fuel to a long-simmering debate over Trump’s use of presidential travel to promote his private businesses. His family’s company, the Trump Organization, owns and operates several high-end golf resorts globally — including Trump Turnberry, just 200 miles away on Scotland’s southwest coast, which he is also visiting during the trip.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers defended the travel, emphasizing Trump’s reputation as a successful businessman:
“President Trump has built the most beautiful, world-class golf courses, which is why they host prestigious tournaments and attract elite players worldwide.”
However, the optics of a sitting president promoting personally branded real estate projects, even while engaging in high-level diplomacy, has sparked renewed ethics concerns.
Critics: Blurred Lines and Conflicts of Interest
Jordan Libowitz, vice president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), criticized the increasingly indistinguishable lines between the Trump administration and the Trump Organization.
“It’s as if the White House were almost an arm of the Trump Organization,” Libowitz remarked.
During Trump’s first term, his company agreed to an ethics pact restricting foreign business ventures. That policy has since been relaxed. Trump’s assets are now in a trust managed by his children, who continue to oversee daily operations and negotiate lucrative international deals — including upcoming luxury golf developments in Qatar and Vietnam. Notably, these business interests are advancing as Trump’s administration negotiates trade terms with those very countries.
Aberdeenshire Course: A Troubled Past
Trump’s first foray into Scottish golf — the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire — has had a contentious history. Though it boasts sweeping dunes and ocean views, it has struggled financially and faced criticism from environmental authorities. The course’s construction was found to have damaged protected sand dunes, and a failed lawsuit against a nearby wind farm resulted in Trump’s company being ordered to cover the Scottish government’s legal fees.
The development was also central to Trump’s civil fraud case in New York. Judge Arthur Engoron ruled Trump had fraudulently inflated the value of undeveloped real estate — including exaggerating future housing capacity at the Aberdeenshire site — in order to obtain favorable loans. The ruling imposed a $355 million fine, which has grown to over $510 million with interest as Trump appeals.
Presidents and the Game of Golf
Trump isn’t the first U.S. president to tee off on Scottish turf. Dwight D. Eisenhower played Turnberry in 1959. George W. Bush visited Gleneagles in 2005, though he didn’t take to the course.
Golf has long been entwined with presidential tradition, dating back to William Howard Taft. Woodrow Wilson famously played even in winter, using red golf balls to see them in the snow. Warren Harding’s dog fetched balls for him, while Lyndon Johnson’s swing was humorously described as a rattlesnake strike.
Trump himself is considered one of the most skilled presidential golfers. According to Mike Trostel of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Trump has a handicap index of 2.5 — far stronger than President Joe Biden’s 6.7 or Barack Obama’s self-described “honest 13.” Though Trump hasn’t registered a round with the U.S. Golf Association since 2021, the White House maintains he’s a championship-level player — albeit without a declared handicap.
From painting golf balls red to installing simulators in the White House, the presidential love affair with golf continues. Yet Trump’s brand-first approach — building and promoting his golf resorts while serving in office — sets him apart in ways that continue to spark controversy.
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