Late last week, as Donald Trump prepared to exit the White House, the president took a moment to promote his Turnberry golf course in Scotland — a private business from which he profits. Hours later, upon arriving on Scottish soil, the Republican did it again, boasting to reporters about the quality of his venue.
It would be an overstatement to say that Trump’s trip — a five-day excursion, with an estimated price tag of nearly $10 million — was entirely recreational, given the president met with key foreign officials in between hitting the links. But as The Washington Post noted, even those interactions blurred ethical lines to a point they practically no longer exist.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Monday morning with the president near the fairway to hash out a trade deal and discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the contours of a trade deal at the private club. The meetings provide the latest example of how Trump uses his presidential power not only to govern, but also to help his family businesses. The engagements provide publicity for the courses and funnel taxpayer funds to the Trump Organization, as the U.S. government pays to lodge staff and security details at the properties.
American presidents have traditionally held meetings such as these at diplomatic residences, not at private, for-profit enterprises. But as the Post’s report noted, Trump is “continuing his long tradition of sidestepping presidential norms to mix his family business and his public office.”
The same article quoted Taylor Rogers, an official White House spokesperson, who said, “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.”
But even that quote is itself ethically messy: It’s not the job of public officials working at the White House, whose salaries are paid by taxpayers, to tout private businesses that put money in their boss’ pocket.
As Trump’s trip neared its end, the president got to the apparent point of his sojourn: a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Scottish golf club that bears his name. (Naturally, he used a pair of golden scissors.) Here is the purpose of this $10 million taxpayer funded trip: to participate in the grand opening of a new golf course, the profits from which flow into his own pocket. The White House’s website treated this like an official event, indifferent to appearances of ethical conflicts. Throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, Republicans were hysterical about allegations that the Democrat’s relatives were able to leverage the office for private gain. In 2025, it’s the incumbent Republican president who’s leveraging the office for his own private gain — with nary a word from GOP officials who claimed to take this issue so seriously between 2021 and 2024.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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The WH is broadcasting this as an official event. pic.twitter.com/umT0MUyR3F
