(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is making his fourth international trip of his second term this week, traveling to Scotland, where his mother was born, and where he plans to spend several days at his family’s golf courses — including one he’s said should host the British Open.
The Trump Organization currently has two golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeenshire, and is expected to cut the ribbon on another course opening at the latter in the coming weeks.
Trump visited his golf resort in Turnberry as president once before, for a weekend on the way to a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland in 2018.
In 2020, ABC News confirmed that Woody Johnson, then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, told colleagues he was asked by Trump if he could persuade the British government to hold the British Open golf tournament at Turnberry. The British government later said Johnson never made a request to Scottish officials, and Trump denied asking Johnson to do so.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, which organizes the Open, the world’s oldest golf tournament, said in a statement shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol attack that it had “no plans” to stage the Open at Turnberry and “will not do so in the foreseeable future.”
“We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances,” the chief executive of The R&A wrote in the statement at the time.
In 2023, in an interview at Turnberry, Trump told British conservative politician and media personality Nigel Farage that “everyone” wants Turnberry to host the Open.
“Everyone wants to see the Open Championship here. The players, it’s their favorite course, number one rated in Europe. In some lists, it’s the number one rated anywhere in the world, and they want to have the Open championship back here,” he said.
“I think they think I’m a little bit of a controversial figure,” he said at another point in the interview.
Recently, Mark Darbon, the new chair of the R&A, said there are “logistical challenges” to hosting the tournament at the club, which hosted the Open several times before Trump bought the property in 2014.
Darbon also revealed his organization recently met with Eric Trump and other Trump Golf leaders a few months ago to discuss the possibility.
ABC News has reached out to the Trump Organization for a statement.
In May, Trump traveled to the Middle East for his first official overseas visit of his second term, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in an effort to deepen economic and political ties with the Gulf kingdoms.
The president’s family has also expanded its business interests in the Middle East. The Trump Organization partnered with developers on new projects in Saudi Arabia, Doha and the United Arab Emirates, and is involved in a cryptocurrency venture connected to a fund with ties to the Emirati government.
In his most recent financial disclosure, Trump reported hundreds of millions in income from his various properties, including golf clubs and his Mar-a-Lago estate and club. He has also earned millions from other business ventures, including trademarking merchandise like watches and fragrances.
His Aberdeenshire resort lost 1.4 million pounds last year, according to the BBC, citing financial disclosures.
Ethics experts have criticized some of Trump’s travels and raised concerns that the president has exposed himself to potential conflicts of interest between his official activities and his family’s business interests.
“At this point, he’s essentially using the White House as an extension of the Trump Organization and letting the taxpayers pick up the bill,” Jordan Libowitz, the Vice President for Communications at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told ABC News.
The administration has called Trump’s visit a “working trip,” and Trump is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Starmer and will likely hold a press conference while overseas.
“President Trump’s working trip to Scotland will include a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Starmer to refine the historic US-UK trade deal. Donald J. Trump has built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to ABC News.
Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children and administration officials have long denied any conflict of interest.
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