Donald Trump can’t play golf in Scotland during Joe Biden’s inauguration, says leader Nicola Sturgeon
- Local media had speculated that the US president would visit his Turnberry resort while skipping his rival’s big day
- The Scottish First Minister refuted the report, citing tough coronavirus restrictions amid the spread of a new variant discovered in England
Scotland’s leader Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday poured cold water on rumours that Donald Trump was set to visit, saying even the US president was subject to coronavirus travel restrictions.
Speculation has grown that Trump, who is still refusing to concede his election defeat to Joe Biden, might skip his rival’s January 20 inauguration and travel to his Turnberry golf resort in western Scotland.
The Sunday Post newspaper reported at the weekend that Glasgow Prestwick Airport had been told to expect the arrival of a US military Boeing 757 aircraft, the type is occasionally used by Trump, on January 19.
However, Scotland faces a new fast-spreading coronavirus variant that developed in England, and has imposed tough rules including an almost total ban on international arrivals and departures.
Sturgeon, who has criticised Trump in the past, told reporters she had “no idea” of his travel plans, joking that she hoped they would be “to exit the White House”.
“We are not allowing people to come into Scotland without an essential purpose right now, and that would apply to him just as it would apply to anybody else,” she said.