Funding announcement for golf contest at Trump International 'clumsy', says former top Sturgeon aide
Former chief of staff says ‘good promotional move’ could have been handled better
Nicola Sturgeon’s former chief of staff has called the announcement of £180,000 of public money for a golf tournament at Trump International “clumsy”.
However, Liz Lloyd also said the funding for the Nexo Championship in Aberdeenshire in August was likely “a good promotional move”.
John Swinney announced the cash on Saturday just days before his planned meeting with the US President, with the Tories saying many would see it “as a hypocritical and cynical sweetener”.
The First Minister said the funding would “further enhance Aberdeenshire’s reputation as a leading golfing destination”, but the Greens compared it to “offering up pocket money to the school bully”.
Mr Trump flew into Prestwick on Friday evening, with hundreds of protesters gathering in Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Saturday to voice their opposition to the President.
He spent time on Saturday playing golf at his Turnberry resort in Ayrshire, where, dressed in black, with a white cap that said USA on it, he could be seen driving a golf buggy, flanked by a fleet of security personnel.
As well as meeting Mr Swinney, Mr Trump is due to hold talks with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his visit to Scotland, where the two men will refine a trade deal between the UK and the US that was agreed earlier this year.
The US President will also talk trade with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday.
The 2025 Nexo Championship - previously the Scottish Championship - on the DP World Tour is to be held at Trump International from August 7 to 10. The Scottish Government said advanced negotiations are underway to ensure the money from VisitScotland will support delivery of the event.
It said the tournament will bring opportunities to grow Scotland’s golf tourism market and extend the length of the tourism season in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Scotland is widely recognised as the “home of golf” and golf tourism is estimated to bring in £300 million of economic value per year.
Speaking about the funding on BBC Radio Scotland, Ms Lloyd, who was Ms Sturgeon’s top aide when she was first minister, said such moves seemed “to be something that Trump expects”.
She said: "£180,000 won't really scratch the sides for Trump, but he will see it, and he will think, 'Well, of course, that's what should happen.'
"I think it's maybe been announced in a bit of a clumsy fashion, but I'm sure VisitScotland will be able to say they are doing it entirely for the purposes of promoting golf on the international stage.
"To be honest, if you see the carousel at any of Scotland's airports when the American flights arrive, they are entirely full of golf bags, so it maybe is a good promotional move."
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