Getty
- Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday put an end to rumors that President Donald Trump would visit his Turnberry golf resort during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
- Sturgeon said the country’s national lockdown, which includes a prohibition on non-essential travel, applies to Trump.
- A Scottish newspaper reported on Sunday that a US military plane sometimes used by Trump is scheduled to arrive at an airport near Trump’s Turnberry golf resort.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Rumors that President Donald Trump would take refuge at his Scottish golf resort during President-elect Joe Biden’s January 20 inauguration were dashed by Scotland’s leader on Tuesday.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the US president wouldn’t be permitted to visit the country, where he has owned a golf resort since 2014, because of its COVID-19 travel restrictions prohibiting non-essential travel. Sturgeon implemented a nationwide lockdown on Monday shortly before UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a national lockdown on England as coronavirus cases surge.
“We are not allowing people to come into Scotland and that would apply to him just as it applies to anybody else,” Sturgeon told Scottish reporters on Tuesday. “And coming in to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose.”
The Sunday Post first reported that Trump may be planning to escape the US later this month. A military plane the president occasionally uses is scheduled to arrive at the Glasgow Prestwick Airport near Trump’s resort on January 19, the day before Biden’s inauguration, per the Scottish newspaper.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump "has no plans to travel to Scotland" after the White House first declined to comment on the Post's reporting. Trump reportedly planned to visit Turnberry following the 2016 election, assuming that he would lose the race to Hillary Clinton, according to former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
The president, who has so far refused to concede his election loss, hasn't said whether he'll attend Biden's inauguration or where he'll go once he's no longer president. NBC News reported that Trump is considering announcing a 2024 presidential bid on inauguration day, while other outlets have reported that Trump will hold a campaign rally while Biden is sworn in.