President Trump’s Visit To Scotland Embracing 1832 Marcy Rule On Steroids. Affront To U.S. Taxpayers. If Not About Promoting His Businesses, Why Stay At His Resort?

President Trump’s Visit To Scotland Is Affront To U.S. Taxpayers

Example Of Amoral Appreciation Of His Obligation To The Public Purse

Embracing The 1832 Marcy Rule… On Steroids 

If The Visit To Scotland Was All About Benefiting United States Taxpayers, Then Why Is President Trump Staying At His Properties?  Why Not Avoid Them?  Because He Does Not Care What People Think- It’s All About Making Money- For Him And His Family. 

He Relishes Pressuring People To Put Money In His Pocket- And Then Pretends He Never Asked For It, Needs It, Sought It, Or Wants It.  But, He Will Keep It.   

Donald Trump, President of the United States (2017-2021 and 2025-2029), arrived for a five-day visit to Scotland to promote his two golf courses and preside at a ribbon-cutting for a new golf course.  He denied that was his intent.  That is not truthful. 

  • Prior to his departure from The White House: “All I can tell you is it would be the best place anywhere in your country, there’s no place like it. There’s no place like Turnberry.  Probably the best course in the world.  And I would say Aberdeen is up there as well… The second course is greatIt’s probably the best course in the world.”   

  • From President Trump upon arrival to Scotland: “A lot of people will be staying at Turnberry.” 

  • Bloomberg: “It’s the number one course in the world,” Trump told reporters before leaving Washington, adding that his trip is “not about” securing the tournament.  Still, as my London colleagues Alex Wickham, Ellen Milligan and Freya Jones reported, British government officials have been quietly trying to secure the Open for Turnberry- unsuccessfully so far.” 

  • Karoline Leavitt, Assistant to the President and Press Secretary at The White House maintains there are no conflicts of interest with President Trump advocating, marketing, promoting, and visiting any property owned and/or managed by The Trump Organization because “All of the president’s assets are in a blind trust, which is managed by his children.”  No one believes that.  Does Ms. Leavitt believe that?  

President Trump’s second-eldest son, Eric, who nominally manages the family businesses, will cut the ribbon for the second course at Aberdeen.   

The estimated cost to United States taxpayers for this purely personal promotional excursion may near US$5 million.  The estimate includes the per-hour cost for multiple fixed-wing (airplane) and rotary (helicopter) aircraft (passenger and cargo), costs for round-trip airline tickets (business class), hotel accommodations (which United States taxpayers will direct to hotels owned by the New York, New York-based The Trump Organization), food, catering, golf cart rentals, vehicle rentals, and communications, etc.    

Despite his statements to the contrary and despite two scheduled meetings with Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland); one scheduled meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Brussels, Belgium-based European Commission (EU); one scheduled meeting with John Swinney, First Secretary of Scotland; and “meetings with business leaders” all of the meetings are thinly-veiled disguises for promoting first his personal business holdings. 

There is no demonstrable urgent requirement today for President Trump to visit Scotland to meet neither with Prime Minister Starmer nor with President von der Leyen.  He will again be in the United Kingdom for a second state visit in September 2025.  Dr. von der Leyen could have visited Washington DC. 

The older the head of state and head of government, and the longer their tenure in office, the more they, members of their family, and their friends focus less upon doing good, crafting a constituent-focused legacy, than toward preserving their power and access to the public trough both while in their remaining time in office and preserving access to those resources subsequent to leaving office. 

To remind, President Trump maintains the resources of United States taxpayers are not being used to promote his businesses.  Media reporting maintains that President Trump, members of his family, United States ambassadors, and staff within The White House continue to advocate to officials within the government of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) that golf courses owned by The Trump Organization should host major golf tournaments.  

President Trump will not admit, or worse is unable to appreciate that his travel decision is inappropriate, is insensitive, and is an appalling reflection on his judgement. 

  • Why is he unable and unwilling to separate United States taxpayers from his business holdings?  He did the same during his first term.  Because he embraces the Marcy Rule.  

In 1832, William Marcy, United States Senator from New York State, said “To the victor belong the spoils of the enemy” referring to the political control of the patronage appointment system. 

  • The 2024 Presidential election vote: Kamala Harris- 75,019,230 (48.34%) and Donald Trump- 77,303,568 (49.81%).  Approximately 64% of eligible voters participated in the 2024 Presidential election.  The highest percentage, 66% of eligible voters, was in 2020. 

For President Trump, the Marcy Rule means first that all revenue flowing into the United States Department of the Treasury in Washington DC is his, personally, from which to benefit and second to direct benefits to those he favors.   

His most fervent focus remains upon weaponizing the in-country and out-of-country tools of the presidency to punish those who voted against him- meaning punishing residents of states, cities, and towns even when he may have won narrowly.  He embraces all those who spend money at any of the Sycophants-R-Us stores (or golf courses, hotels, and restaurants). 

For his second and final term, with no focus upon re-election, his conflation of the public purse with his private checking accounts will continue- and expand exponentially as neither those whom he installs within The White House, the United States Department of Justice, and Republican Party elected members of the United States Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) will confront him.  Rather, they will seek opportunities to defend him to curry favor with him and with members of his family.  It is like a sycophant festival

Equally troubling is the lack of push-back from either of his three sons or his two daughters (one of whom is an attorney) to promote ethical boundaries.  Each of them has embraced the Marcy Rule.  Perhaps, even tattooed it on their body.  None as successfully financially as Jared Kushner, the eldest daughter’s husband.  Heads of state and heads of government continue to open their door and their country treasuries to him- despite questions as to the appropriateness of his proposals.   

None of President Trump’s offspring and relatives believe inappropriate for United States taxpayers to be forced into a revenue stream to the revenues of The Trump Organization.  These offspring and relatives are themselves a crisis of morality, a clear and present danger.  They represent the DNA of their father.  They are a COVID-19-like pandemic undermining the distinctions between right from wrong. 

The cost for the United States Secret Service (USSS) details for not only President Trump’s immediate family, but for ex-wives and grandchildren was inappropriate during his first term and continues to be inappropriate into his second term.  If President Trump behaved differently and if members of his immediate and extended family behaved differently, there might not be a legitimate consideration for USSS resources.  Members of the Trump family certainly use the presence of USSS details to their social and commercial advantage.  That’s the way the father has taught them.

LINK TO COMPLETE ANALYSIS IN PDF FORMAT

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