President Donald Trump touted the opening of his new golf course in Scotland on Tuesday — while he admitted that he had more important priorities as commander-in-chief than playing the sport.
“I look forward to playing it today,” Trump told reporters at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Aberdeen.
“We’ll play it very quickly, and then I go back to D.C. and we put out fires all over the world,” he continued.
Trump went on to say that he had golfed on Monday, and he had also “stopped the war” — appearing to reference Thailand and Cambodia agreeing to a ceasefire brokered by the president and Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister, following roughly five days of fighting.
“But we stopped about five wars. So that’s much more important than playing golf. As much as I like it, it’s much more important,” Trump said.
As part of a five-day trip, Trump wrapped up his time in the region for a first round of golf at his now third golf course in Scotland. The Trump Organization owns two other courses in the country: a separate one in Aberdeen that opened in 2012, and another in Turnberry that opened in 2014.
While initially intended to be a private visit, designed to promote his family’s properties and play golf, the president had announced a trade agreement with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, setting a 15% tariff rate on most goods, and met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in which the two leaders discussed the war in Gaza, Russia’s war in Ukraine and trade.
Trump, flanked by his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., had cut a red ribbon to mark the opening, with his signature campaign song “YMCA” playing at the course.
“This has been an unbelievable development,” Trump said during his remarks, calling the project “truly a labor of love” for his son Eric.
“I guess we’re going to be hitting a couple of balls. And we’re going to play the round,” he added. “I’ll be playing quickly and then I’ll be heading back. I look forward to that but I really look forward to playing.”
The new course is expected to be open to the public on Aug. 13, according to the property’s website. It boasts itself as “The Greatest 36 Holes in Golf,” set to “redefine the modern game of golf.”
During his meeting with Starmer on Monday, Trump raised the heat on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appearing to break with his assessment that there is no starvation in Gaza. Trump said that he had seen images on TV and that “those children look very hungry,” later adding that it looked like “real starvation” and “you can’t fake that.”
When asked if he had a message for Netanyahu on Tuesday, following the ceremony, Trump said he is “trying to get things straightened out.”
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