The Troubled Histories of Donald Trump's Scottish Golf Courses

Former president Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Monday to open a new golf course at his resort near Aberdeen.

Trump, whose mother, Mary, was born on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides before emigrating to the U.S., declared "it's great to be home" after arriving at Aberdeen airport with his son Eric on Monday morning.

Trump later cut the ribbon to mark work on a second course at the Menie Estate at Balmedie in Aberdeenshire, which the former president said would be dedicated to his late mother.

Trump will also be visiting his golf courses in Ireland during what is his first foreign trip since he became the first U.S. president in history to be charged with a crime in early April over allegations of falsifying business records in relation to hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels. No travel restrictions were placed on Trump when he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in New York as a condition of release from custody last month.

Trump's trip also coincides with a sexual battery and defamation civil trial over accusations he raped former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll then defamed her character while repeatedly denying the accusations. Trump is not obliged to attend the trial proceedings in person.

The former president is also under investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James' office over allegations that The Trump Organization inflated the value of his Scottish golf resorts, as well as a number of other properties and assets. He denies the accusations and has frequently called James' investigation a "witch hunt."

Trump has frequently faced opposition in Scotland with regards to his resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire. Trump spent more than $300 million in cash purchasing and developing the Scottish resorts, neither of which has turned a profit.

Down the years, Trump has faced calls to be investigated over how he was able to purchase the properties, and has faced criticism over destruction of the local sand dune systems.

'McMafia' Review

In 2021, a campaign group sought a judiciary review of the Scottish government's refusal to investigate how Trump was able to purchase the golf courses in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire in cash.

The U.S.-based non-profit activism organization Avaaz filed a petition in Scotland's highest civil court to pursue an Unexplained Wealth Order against Trump—a court order issued by a British court to force an individual to reveal sources of their finances, also known as a "McMafia" order, after the Scottish Parliament voted 89-to-32 against a similar motion in February 2021.

The legal bid to investigate Trump's purchase of the Scottish golf courses was later rejected by the court in November 2021. There are now renewed calls for the Scottish government and Scotland's first minister Humza Yousaf to pursue an Unexplained Wealth Order against Trump amid his latest visit to the country.

"Donald Trump's previous visits have cost us millions in policing costs. They were the most expensive rounds of golf in history," Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur said in a statement.

"The Scottish Government have refused to probe the finances involved in Donald Trump's purchase of the Turnberry golf course. The new First Minister should consider whether to revisit that decision."

Loss of Protected Status

In December 2020, Scotland's Nature Agency confirmed that the sand dunes around the Trump International golf course in Aberdeenshire had been stripped of their protected status as a result of the damage caused by the resort's construction.

For years, environmental groups have criticized Trump and his golf course for damaging the unique habit during the building of the resort which opened in 2012. The site was built on a system of sand dunes that shifted down the coast and is home to diverse plant life, with the surrounding dune system at Menie Estate being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

In July 2018, Scottish Natural Heritage admitted that the dune systems around Trump's Aberdeenshire resort had been "partially destroyed" as a result of the course's construction, as reported by The Guardian. The following year, the dune system at the Menie Estate lost its protected privilege as the damage at the area meant that "there is now no longer a reason to protect the dunes" at Menie as they do not include enough of the features for which they were designated.

"Trump International Golf Links Scotland have undertaken to deliver nature conservation management on the golf course and we value the work they have done to protect the remaining rare habitats and the rare plants on their site; however they no longer have sufficient scientific interest to merit special protection," Scotland's Nature Agency said in a statement.

Wind Power Legal Costs

Following a years-long battle, Trump's Aberdeenshire golf resort was forced to pay the Scottish government's legal costs in 2019 after losing a court ruling about the development of a wind farm off the coast near the resort.

Trump first fought against the proposals to build 11 turbines close to the Aberdeenshire coast in 2013, and spent several years fighting the decision to grant the planning permission as part of a major North Sea wind power development, arguing the turbines would spoil the view from his golf course.

In 2019, judges ruled that Trump International Golf Club Scotland Ltd should pay the legal bills of the Scottish government, with the sum of the fees not disclosed.

Letitia James' Tax Fraud Probe

In September 2022, New York AG James announced that she had filed a $250 million suit against Trump, three of his children—Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump—and two senior executives at the Trump Organization. These concerned allegations Trump and his company fraudulently inflated or undervalued the value of his assets to get benefits such as better bank loans and reduced tax bills.

James detailed numerous examples in which Trump is alleged to have fraudulently inflated his assets, including his golf resorts in Scotland.

In 2014, Trump valued his Aberdeenshire golf club at $327 million. However, this valuation was said to have been reached on the assumption he had the right to build 2,500 luxury homes in the area, despite him only having approval to build fewer than 1,500 holiday apartments and golf villas.

Trump is also alleged to have valued the Trump International Golf Links Scotland resort in Turnberry using a fixed-assets scheme, meaning it did not take into account any depreciation of the asset between 2017 and 2021.

New York prosecutors said that Trump's valuation was therefore "false and misleading" as the golf course has operated at a loss each year since it opened in 2017.

The Trump Organization has been contacted for comment via email.