‘America’s Gone Mad!’: Shocked Residents Near Donald Trump’s Scotland Golf Course Question U.S. Decision to Re-Elect Convicted Felon Known for Divisive Rhetoric
Several residents in a Scotland village near a world-renowned golf course owned by Donald Trump expressed shock and unease at the Republican candidate’s re-election.
Locals in Ayshire near Trump Turnberry Golf Course told The Guardian that they were astonished that millions of Americans voted to return Trump to the Oval Office even after he was convicted of felony crimes and indicted for state and federal election interference offenses.
“I think America’s gone mad. How can you elect a criminal as president? I don’t get it,” resident Alan Ringrose said. “Perhaps people were afraid to elect a Black woman?”
Ringrose said that the Turnberry course nestled near Ayshire has helped the area economically, but expressed doubt about Trump as a politician: “He has done a lot for the area, but as a politician …”
Another person listed off several reasons why she thought the American people who supported Trump would cast their votes differently in this round of national elections.
“It’s a total disaster: he’s a fascist, he’s against women, he’s homophobic, he’s racist. It is a shock because I thought people would have come to their senses and realised what kind of man he is,” Elizabeth Cogan said. “It’s difficult with politics, because you have to respect different opinions. But look how he divides people, the way he treats immigrants.”
Cogan also pointed to Trump’s connections with the ultra-wealthy and how those relationships might disassociate him from the needs of working-class and marginalized communities.
“Someone with such wealth has no understanding of how normal people live,” Cogan remarked.
Residents noted the positive, local economic impacts of the Trump-owned golf course, which has been the site of four British Open Championships. However, one former club member stated that membership costs have increased in recent years.
“It’s so expensive now, [Trump] he’s put it out of reach of normal people. I heard a round of golf costs £500,” Dave McDade said.
According to the Guardian, one round of golf on the course will increase to £545 ($704) next year, with greens fees rising to £1,000 ($1,303) at peak times.
McDade was also stunned by the 2024 election results: “I’m surprised that people voted for [Trump] after all the stuff he’s come out with.”