Although Donald Trump has never really kept his personal affairs and politics apart, he went to a whole new level this week. The President transformed a visit to one of his own golf courses in Scotland on Tuesday into what appeared to be a full-fledged official government event, complete with media coverage and taxpayer-funded promotion managed by his White House staff.
The entire thing? a ceremony to cut the ribbon at his golf course in Aberdeen. Additionally, it appeared on the White House’s official daily calendar rather than being a campaign or private matter. The White House’s YouTube account streamed live footage of Trump’s speech, in which he promised that it will be a hugely successful place. Shortly after, his team began posting real-time videos of him teeing off on official social media sites.
As Trump answers questions in Scotland, a bagpiper drowns him out.Give the individual every beer!iTsuorUc1L pic.twitter.com/
July 28, 2025 Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids)
During a ride on Air Force One, Trump dismissed a direct question about the morality of using public funds to promote his own company, saying, “I haven’t heard that.” No. I’ve never heard that. Is my drive in the first hole visible to you? Quite lengthy. Quite lengthy. Let me tell you that’s not Joe Biden.
The entire situation appeared to be exactly what it appeared to be to ethics specialists. According to Norm Eisen, a former senior ethics lawyer in the Obama White House, it is the epitome of corruption. using government resources and his official position for personal gain.
If you’re asking how the White House handled the criticism, the answer is no.Nothing.
The fact that it was all so obvious sets this apart from previous incidents. The White House at least made an effort to maintain a neutral stance in previous cases where Trump used his position to promote his personal endeavors.
Consider April 3, when Trump hosted a dinner at his Doral resort that was connected to the Saudi-sponsored LIVGolf tournament. He flew to Miami on Air Force One and arrived by Marine One, but neither White House officials nor the schedule indicated that the event was open to the public.
The same is true for a dinner on May 22 at his golf club in Northern Virginia, which will be reserved for those who purchased the most of his cryptocurrency meme tokens. Once more, there was no public marketing and the itinerary referred to it as a private supper.
However, this most recent journey to Scotland? It was solely focused on the official launch of a second golf course at his resort in Aberdeen. Trump’s team attempted to claim that the trip was warranted due to meetings with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, although those talks were held at Turnberry, another of his properties, which is located on the other coast and several hours away. Additionally, they had no conflict with his golf schedule.
The five-day vacation cost American taxpayers at least $9.7 million, according to HuffPost, and that doesn’t even account for inflation. Just six months into his second administration, Trump has now spent $52 million on travel and security linked to golf. In contrast, his golf outings during his first term cost Americans a total of $152 million, and he insisted on holding them at his own resorts.
Although Trump’s use of the government to further his commercial interests is not new, it is obviously becoming more prevalent. He was already allocating federal funds to his restaurants, hotels, and golf courses during his first tenure. He appears to be leaning in even more now. And even though he still faces several major legal matters, he is now protected from federal prosecution because of his return to office.
He had been accused of several offenses for his refusal to surrender confidential papers kept at Mar-a-Lago and for his involvement in an attempt to rig the 2020 election. But because the Department of Justice has a long-standing policy against pursuing a sitting president, the prosecutions were withdrawn once Trump regained the presidency.
NOTE: Trump is off golfing in Scotland while America struggles with soaring prices (which he pledged to cut) caused by his own ridiculous tariffs.
And that slack, thieving, pedophile-defending jerk is using government money.cf0w4elXqV pic.twitter.com/
Brooklyn Dad is resilient! (@mmpadellan)July 27, 2025
However, he wasn’t very fortunate in state court. Trump was found guilty in New York of fabricating financial documents related to a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election. In fact, Michael Cohen, his former attorney, was sentenced to federal jail for his involvement in the same issue.
But what about Trump? Not even a fine, no jail time. And once more, his attempt at a comeback protected him from any actual repercussions.
