Following President Trump’s recent visit to his Scottish resort, CREW filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for all State Department expenditures at Trump-owned properties since January 2025. These properties include Mar-a-Lago, Trump National Doral Miami, and Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach, as well as his international properties.

President Trump’s recent visit to Scotland is a troubling example of how he continues to use the guise of official state business to promote his own lucrative enterprises while blurring the distinction between the two. Though Trump met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Scottish First Minister John Swinney and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit, he did so primarily at his own properties. Both Swinney and Starmer attended dinner at Trump’s Turnberry property, and Swinney even attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Trump’s new golf course in Balmedie alongside Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. This four-day trip, which was largely spent at Trump’s golf courses, cost American taxpayers about $10 million. 

Trump has been blending politics with business promotion since his first term. In 2018, the State Department spent $234,000 on Trump’s visit to his Turnberry resort in Scotland, and in 2020, it spent $600,000 in just limousine service for Vice President Mike Pence’s stay at Trump’s resort in Ireland. 

Given Trump’s repeated abuse of power, it is crucial that the American public knows how much of their taxpayer money is being spent to promote Trump-branded businesses.

FOIA requests

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