President Trump started his Saturday on Twitter with an announcement that his golf course in Scotland is super nice and also totally great for America's ties with the United Kingdom:
The immediate context of Trump's tweet is his loss of a 2015 court battle with Scotland over plans for a new offshore wind farm. Trump unsuccessfully sought to block construction of the turbines, arguing they would spoil the view from his golf course.
On Thursday, a court ruled Trump's company must pay for the Scottish government's legal fees incurred in the suit, so yeah, the U.K. probably is pretty happy about the golf course right now.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
More broadly, the tweet is a reminder Trump chose not to divest ownership of his businesses when he took office, and he has continued to promote his properties as president. As Trump has noted, divestment is not legally mandatory, though it was customary for modern presidents.
Trump's decision has been subject to considerable scrutiny, including a lawsuit alleging he has violated the Constitution's emoluments clause — which bans the president from accepting gifts from foreign heads of state absent congressional consent — by doing business with foreign governments.
