Donald Trump
Assumed office
January 20, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence
Preceded by Barack Obama
Personal details
Born Donald John Trump
June 14, 1946 (age 71)
New York City
Political party Republican (1987–99, 2009–11, 2012–present)
Other political
affiliations
Democratic (until 1987, 2001–09)
Reform (1999–2001)
Independent (2011–12)
Spouse(s)
Ivana Zelníčková (m. 1977; div. 1992)
Marla Maples (m. 1993; div. 1999)
Melania Knauss (m. 2005)
Children
Donald Jr. Ivanka Eric Tiffany Barron
Parents
Fred Mary Anne
Relatives See Family of Donald Trump
Residence
White House (official/primary)
Trump Natl. Bedminster (summer)
Mar-a-Lago (winter)
Trump Tower (private/secondary)
Alma mater The Wharton School (B.S. in Econ.)
Occupation
Real estate developer
(The Trump Organization)
Television host/producer
(The Apprentice)
Net worth Decrease US$3.5 billion (May 2017)[1]
Signature Donald J Trump stylized autograph, in ink
Website
White House website
Presidential Twitter
Personal Twitter
Donald Trump (29273256122) - Cropped.jpg This article is part of
a series about
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Incumbent
Presidency
Transition Inauguration Timeline Executive actions Trips Polls Protests
Appointments
Cabinet Federal judges Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court candidates U.S. Attorneys Dismissals Sally Yates James Comey
Policy positions
Economy Environment Paris withdrawal Foreign policy as candidate as president Immigration Social issues marijuana
International trips
2017 summits Saudi Arabia arms deal NATO, Belgium G7, Italy G20, Germany
Presidential election
2016 Campaign Rallies Primaries Convention Endorsements Debates Never Trump Republican opposition Sexual misconduct allegations 2020 Campaign
Russia controversies
Business projects in Russia Election interference timeline Steele dossier Classified information disclosure Links of associates with Russian officials Trump campaign–Russian meeting 2017 Special Counsel investigation
Business and personal
Business career The Trump Organization Eponyms Family Foundation Legal affairs Residences Social media The Apprentice franchise Films
Books
The Art of the Deal Surviving at the Top The Art of the Comeback The America We Deserve Trump 101 Why We Want You to Be Rich Think Big and Kick Ass Time to Get Tough Midas Touch Crippled America
Seal of the President of the United States.svg
v t e
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is the 45th and current President of the United States, in office since January 20, 2017. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality.
Trump was born in the New York City borough of Queens. He earned an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A third-generation businessman, Trump followed in the footsteps of his grandmother Elizabeth and father Fred in running the family real estate company. He served as chairman and president of The Trump Organization from 1971 until his inauguration as president in January 2017, when he delegated company management to his sons Donald Jr. and Eric. Trump's business career primarily focused on building or renovating office towers, hotels, casinos, and golf courses.
Trump also started several side ventures and branded various products with his name. He is credited as having written or co-written several books (including The Art of the Deal), and produced and hosted The Apprentice television series for 12 years. As of 2017, he was the 544th richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion.
Trump had long expressed interest in politics. He entered the 2016 presidential race as a Republican and defeated sixteen opponents in the primaries. Commentators described his political positions as populist, protectionist, and nationalist. His campaign received extensive free media coverage; many of his public statements were controversial or false. Trump won the general election on November 8, 2016, in a surprise victory against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. He became the oldest and wealthiest person ever to assume the presidency, the first without prior military or government service, and the fifth to have won the election despite losing the popular vote. His election and policies have sparked numerous protests.
In domestic policy, Trump has unsuccessfully attempted to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He appointed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He ordered a travel ban on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries, citing security concerns; the ban was partially implemented after several legal challenges. In foreign policy, he withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Agreement, undid parts of the Cuban Thaw, and ordered missile strikes in Syria in response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack. After Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey, the Justice Department appointed Comey's predecessor Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russia's interference in the presidential election, potential links between Russia and Trump campaign associates, and any related matters.
Contents
1 Family and personal life
1.1 Ancestry
1.2 Early life and education
1.3 Family
1.4 Religion
1.5 Health
1.6 Wealth
2 Business career
2.1 Real estate
2.2 Branding and licensing
2.3 Legal affairs and bankruptcies
2.4 Side ventures
2.5 Foundation
2.6 Resignation
3 Media career
3.1 The Apprentice
3.2 Professional wrestling
3.3 Acting and public image
4 Political career up to 2015
4.1 Early involvement in politics
4.2 Political affiliations
4.3 2000 presidential campaign
5 2016 presidential campaign
5.1 Campaign rhetoric
5.2 Financial disclosures
5.3 Republican primaries
5.4 General election campaign
5.5 Political positions
5.6 Russian interference in election
5.7 Interactions with Russia
5.8 Sexual misconduct allegations
5.9 Election to the presidency
5.10 Protests
5.11 Electoral history
6 Presidency
6.1 Transition
6.2 Early actions
6.3 Domestic policy
6.4 Foreign policy
6.5 Impeachment efforts
6.6 2020 presidential campaign
7 Awards, honors, and distinctions
7.1 Honorary degrees
7.2 Organizational recognitions
7.3 State orders and awards
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
11 Bibliography
12 External links
Family and personal life
Ancestry
Further information: Trump family
Trump's ancestors originated from the German village of Kallstadt, Palatinate, on his father's side, and from the Outer Hebrides isles of Scotland on his mother's side. All his grandparents, and his mother, were born in Europe. His mother's grandfather was also christened "Donald".[2]
Trump's paternal grandfather, Friedrich Trump, first emigrated to the United States in 1885 at the age of 16, and became a citizen in 1892. He amassed a fortune operating boom-town restaurants and boarding houses in the Seattle area and the Klondike region of Canada during the gold rush.[3] On a visit to Kallstadt, he met Elisabeth Christ and married her in 1902. The couple settled in New York permanently in 1905.[4] Frederick died from influenza during the 1918 pandemic.[5]
Donald's father, Fred Trump, was born in 1905 in the Bronx. Fred started working with his mother in real estate when he was 15, shortly after his father's death. Their company, Elizabeth Trump and Son, was primarily active in the New York boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. Fred eventually built and sold thousands of houses, barracks and apartments.[5][6] The company would later become The Trump Organization after Donald Trump took over in 1971.[7]
Donald's mother, Mary Anne, was born in Tong, Lewis, Scotland. At age 18 in 1930, she emigrated to New York, where she worked as a maid.[8] Fred and Mary were married in 1936 and raised their family in Queens.[8][9]
Donald's uncle John Trump was an electrical engineer, physicist, and inventor. He was also a professor at MIT from 1936 to 1973. During World War II, he was involved in radar research for the Allies and helped design X-ray machines that were used to treat cancer.[10]
Early life and education
A black-and-white photograph of Donald Trump as a teenager, smiling and wearing a dark pseudo-military uniform with various badges and a light-colored stripe crossing his right shoulder. This image was taken while Trump was in the New York Military Academy in 1964.
Senior yearbook photo of Trump in 1964 wearing the uniform of his private boarding school, New York Military Academy[11][12]
Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946, at the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York City. He was the fourth of five children born to Frederick Trump (1905–1999) and Mary Anne Trump (née MacLeod, 1912–2000).[13] His siblings are Maryanne (b. 1937), Fred Jr. (1938–1981), Elizabeth (b. 1942), and Robert (b. 1948).
Trump grew up in the Jamaica Estates neighborhood of Queens. He attended the Kew-Forest School from kindergarten through seventh grade. At age 13, he enrolled in the New York Military Academy, a private boarding school, after his parents discovered that he had made frequent trips into Manhattan without their permission.[14][15]
In August 1964, Trump began his higher education at Fordham University.[11][16] After two years, he transferred to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, because it offered one of the few real-estate studies departments in United States academia at the time.[16][17]
In addition to his father, Trump was inspired by Manhattan developer William Zeckendorf, vowing to be "even bigger and better".[18] While at Wharton, he worked at the family business, Elizabeth Trump and Son,[19] graduating in May 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics.[16][20][21]
Trump was not drafted during the Vietnam War, and he did not enlist either as a volunteer or as a Reserve Officer Training Corps candidate.[22] While Trump was in college from 1964 to 1968, he obtained four student deferments.[23] In 1966, he was deemed fit for service based upon a military medical examination, and in 1968 was briefly classified as fit by a local draft board. In October of that year, he was given a 1-Y medical deferment,[24] which was attributed to heel spurs.[25] In 1969, he received a high number in the draft lottery, which gave him a low probabilty to be called to military service.[24][26][27]
Family
Main article: Family of Donald Trump
Donald Trump is sworn-in as President on January 20, 2017: Trump, wife Melania, son Donald Jr., son Barron, daughter Ivanka, son Eric, and daughter Tiffany
Trump has five children by three marriages, as well as nine grandchildren.[28][29] His first two marriages ended in widely publicized divorces.[30]
Trump was 30 years old when he married his first wife, Czech model Ivana Zelníčková, on April 7, 1977, at the Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan in a ceremony performed by the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale.[31][32] They had three children: son Donald Jr. (b. 1977), daughter Ivanka (b. 1981), and son Eric (b. 1984). Ivana became a naturalized United States citizen in 1988.[33] The couple divorced in 1992, following Trump's affair with actress Marla Maples.[34]
In October 1993, Maples gave birth to Trump's daughter, who was named Tiffany after high-end retailer Tiffany & Company.[35] Maples and Trump were married two months later on December 20, 1993.[36] They divorced in 1999,[37] and Tiffany was raised by Marla in California.[38]
The President and First Lady at the Liberty Ball on Inauguration Day
On January 22, 2005, Trump married his third wife, Slovenian model Melania Knauss, at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida. The ceremony was followed by a reception at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.[39] In 2006, Melania acquired United States citizenship[40] and on March 20 of that year, she gave birth to a son whom they named Barron.[41][42] Melania became First Lady of the United States upon Trump's inauguration as the nation's 45th President in January 2017.[43]
Upon his inauguration as president, Trump delegated the management of his real estate business to his two adult sons, Eric and Don Jr.[44] His daughter Ivanka resigned from The Trump Organization and moved to Washington with her husband Jared Kushner. She serves as an assistant to the president,[45] and he is a Senior Advisor in the White House.[46]
Trump's elder sister, Maryanne Barry, is an inactive Federal Appeals Court judge on the Third Circuit.[47]
Religion
Trump's ancestors were Lutheran on his father's side in Germany[48] and Presbyterian on his mother's side in Scotland.[49] His parents married in a Manhattan Presbyterian church in 1936.[50] As a child, he attended the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, and had his Confirmation there.[32] In the 1970s, his family joined the Marble Collegiate Church (an affiliate of the Reformed Church in America) in Manhattan.[51] The pastor at that church, Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking and The Art of Living, ministered to Trump's family and mentored him until Peale's death in 1993.[52][51] Trump, who is Presbyterian,[53][54] has cited Peale and his works during interviews when asked about the role of religion in his personal life.[51]
Trump receives Holy Communion, but he has said that he does not ask God for forgiveness. He stated: "I think if I do something wrong, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture."[55] On the campaign trail, Trump has referred to The Art of the Deal as his second favorite book after the Bible, saying, "Nothing beats the Bible."[56] In a 2016 speech to Liberty University, he referred to "2 Corinthians" (pronounced "Second Corinthians") as "Two Corinthians", eliciting chuckles from the audience.[57][58] The New York Times reported that Evangelical Christians nationwide thought "that his heart was in the right place, that his intentions for the country were pure".[59]
Trump has had associations with a number of Christian spiritual leaders, including Florida pastor Paula White, who has been called his "closest spiritual confidant."[60] In 2015, he received a blessing from Greek Orthodox priest Emmanuel Lemelson[61] and in 2016, he released a list of his religious advisers, including James Dobson, Jerry Falwell Jr., Ralph Reed and others.[62] Referring to his daughter Ivanka's conversion to Judaism before her marriage to Jared Kushner, Trump said: "I have a Jewish daughter; and I am very honored by that."[63]
Health
Trump's physician, Harold Bornstein, issued a 2016 medical report that showed Trump's blood pressure and liver and thyroid function to be in normal ranges.[64][65] He is overweight and takes statins to lower his cholesterol.[65] Trump has said that he has never smoked cigarettes or consumed drugs, including marijuana.[66] He also drinks no alcohol; this decision arose in part from watching his older brother Fred Jr. suffer from alcoholism that contributed to his early death in 1981.[67][68]
Wealth
Trump said that he began his career with "a small loan of one million dollars" from his father.[69] He appeared on the initial Forbes List of wealthy individuals in 1982 with an estimated $200 million fortune, including an "undefined" share of his parents' estate.[70] During the 1980s he became a billionaire,[71] but he was absent from the Forbes list following business losses from 1990 to 1995; he reportedly borrowed from his siblings' trusts in 1993.[70] His father's estate, valued at more than $20 million, was divided in 1999 among Trump, his three surviving siblings and their children.[72][73]
A tall rectangular-shaped tower in Las Vegas with exterior windows reflecting a golden hue. It is a sunny day and the building is higher than many of the surrounding buildings, also towers. There are mountains in the background. This tower is called the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas.
Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, with gold infused glass[74]
When Trump announced his candidacy for the Presidency on June 16, 2015, he released a one-page financial summary that stated a net worth of $8,737,540,000.[75] The following month, he filed a 92-page FEC financial disclosure form[76] and declared his net worth was "in excess of ten billion dollars".[77] In his presidential announcement speech, he said "I'm really rich", and stated this would make him less indebted to large campaign donors.[78][79] Forbes believed his net worth estimate was "a whopper", setting their own estimate at $4.1 billion in 2015. Trump valued his "properties under development" at $293 million; Forbes said they could not evaluate those deals, and booked them for $0.[80][81] Trump's 2015 FEC disclosure reported $362 million in total income for the year 2014.[77]
After Trump made controversial remarks about illegal immigrants in 2015, he lost business contracts with several companies; this reduced his Forbes estimate by $125 million.[82] Consumer boycotts and reduced bookings may have further affected his brand value during the presidential campaign.[83][84][85] Trump's 104-page FEC disclosure in May 2016[86] still claimed a total wealth over $10 billion, unchanged from 2015.[76] The release of the Access Hollywood tapes in October 2016 put further pressure on his brand,[87] but real estate experts predicted a positive rebound after he was elected.[88]
In its 2017 billionaires' ranking, Forbes estimated Trump's net worth at $3.5 billion (544th in the world, 201st in the U.S.)[1] making him one of the richest politicians in American history. These estimates fluctuate from year to year, and among various analysts. In July 2016 Bloomberg News had pegged his wealth at $3 billion, calling it an increase thanks to his presidential nomination,[89] whereas Forbes had ranked him 324th in the world (113th in the U.S.) with $4.5 billion just a few months earlier.[90] The discrepancies among these estimates and with Trump's own figures stem from the uncertain values of appraised property and of his personal brand.[89][91]
Business career
Main article: Business career of Donald Trump
Real estate
The distinctive façade of Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan
Trump started his career at his father's real estate development company, Elizabeth Trump and Son, which focused on middle-class rental housing in New York City's outer boroughs, but also had business elsewhere.[92] For example, during his undergraduate study, Trump joined his father Fred in successfully revitalizing the foreclosed Swifton Village apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, thereby boosting the occupancy rate from 66% to 100%.[93][94]
When his father became chairman of the board in 1971, Trump was promoted to president of the company and renamed it The Trump Organization.[7][95] In 1973, he and his father drew wider attention when the Justice Department contended that the organization systematically discriminated against African Americans wishing to rent apartments rather than merely screening out people based on low income as the Trumps stated. Under an agreement reached in 1975, the Trumps made no admission of wrongdoing, and made the Urban League an intermediary for qualified minority applicants.[96][97] His adviser and attorney during (and after) that period was Roy Cohn, who responded to attacks by counterattacking with maximum force, and who valued both positive and negative publicity, which were attitudes that Trump appreciated.[98]
Manhattan developments
In 1978, Trump consummated his first major real estate deal in Manhattan when he purchased a half-share in the decrepit Commodore Hotel. The purchase was largely funded by a $70 million construction loan that was jointly guaranteed by Fred Trump and the Hyatt hotel chain. Designed by architect Der Scutt, the project was able to proceed by leveraging competing interests and by taking advantage of tax breaks.[99] After remodeling, the hotel reopened as the Grand Hyatt Hotel, located next to Grand Central Terminal.[100][101]
Also in 1978, Trump finished negotiations to develop Trump Tower, a 58-story, 202-meter (663-foot) skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, which The New York Times attributed to his "persistence" and "skills as a negotiator".[102] To make way for the new building, a crew of undocumented Polish workers demolished an old Bonwit Teller store, including art deco features that had initially been marked for preservation.[103] The building was completed in 1983 and houses both the primary penthouse condominium residence of Trump and the headquarters of The Trump Organization.[104][105] Architectural critic Paul Goldberger said in 1983 that he was surprised to find the tower's atrium was "the most pleasant interior public space to be completed in New York in some years".[106][107] Trump Tower was the setting of the NBC television show The Apprentice and includes a fully functional television studio set.[108]
Central Park's Wollman Rink after the Trump renovation
Repairs on Central Park's Wollman Rink were started in 1980 by a general contractor who was unconnected to Trump. Despite an expected two and one-half year construction schedule, the repairs were not completed by 1986. Trump took over the project, completed it in three months for $1.95 million, $775,000 less than the initial budget, and operated the rink for one year with all profits going to charity in exchange for the rink's concession rights.[109]
In 1988 Trump acquired the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan for a record-setting $407 million and asked his wife Ivana to manage its operation.[110] Trump invested $50 million to restore the building, which he called "the Mona Lisa".[111] According to hotel experts, the Trumps boosted it from a three-star to a four-star ranking and sold it in 1995, by which time Ivana was no longer involved.[112]
In 1994, Trump became involved with a building on Columbus Circle that was swaying in the wind. He began a reconstruction project that stopped the swaying and gave the building a full makeover.[113][114] Trump thereafter owned commercial space in that 44-story mixed-use tower (hotel and condominium), which he named Trump International Hotel and Tower.[115]
In 1996, Trump acquired the Bank of Manhattan Trust Building, which was a vacant seventy-one story skyscraper on Wall Street that had briefly been the tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1930. After an extensive renovation, the high-rise was renamed the Trump Building at 40 Wall Street.[116]
In 1997, he began construction on Trump Place, a multi-building development along the Hudson River. The project encountered delays the following year because a subcontracter had to replace defective concrete.[117][118] He and the other investors in the project ultimately sold their interest for $1.8 billion in 2005 in what was then the biggest residential sale in the history of New York City.[119]
From 1994 to 2002, Trump owned a 50% share of the Empire State Building. He would have renamed it "Trump Empire State Building Tower Apartments" if he had been able to boost his share.[120][121]
In 2001, Trump completed Trump World Tower, which was across from the headquarters of the United Nations. For a while, the structure was the tallest all-residential tower in the world.[122] In 2002, Trump acquired the former Hotel Delmonico, which was renovated and reopened in 2004 as the Trump Park Avenue; the building consisted of 35 stories of luxury condominiums.[123] Meanwhile, he continued to own millions of square feet of other prime Manhattan real estate.[124]
Palm Beach estate
Main article: Mar-a-Lago
Mar-a-Lago in 2009
The Trumps with Chinese President Xi Jinping and wife at Mar-a-Lago in 2017
In 1985, Trump acquired the historic Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida for $5 million plus $3 million for the home's furnishings. The home was built in the 1920s by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, who envisioned the house as a future winter retreat for American presidents.
Trump's initial offer of $28 million had been rejected, and he was able to get the property at the much lower price by purchasing separate beachfront property and threatening to build a house on it that would block Mar-a-Lago's ocean view. In addition to using the estate as a home, Trump also turned it into a private club open to everyone who could afford the initiation fee of $100,000 plus annual dues.[125]
In 1986, Trump acquired a foreclosed 33-story, twin-tower condominium complex in nearby West Palm Beach for $40 million. Auto CEO Lee Iacocca invested in three of the condos.[126] Trump spruced up the complex's public areas and heavily promoted the property for years, but selling the units proved difficult, and the deal turned out to be unprofitable.[127]
Atlantic City casinos
New Jersey legalized casino gambling in 1977, and the following year Trump was in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to explore how he might get involved in a new business venture. Seven years later, Harrah's at Trump Plaza hotel and casino opened there; the multi-use unit was built by Trump with financing from Holiday Corporation, which also was managing that business.[128] Renamed "Trump Plaza" soon after opening, it was at that time the tallest building in Atlantic City.[129] The casino's poor financial results exacerbated disagreements between Trump and Holiday Corp., which led to Trump's paying $70 million in May 1986 to buy out their interest in the property.[130][131] Trump also acquired a partially completed building in Atlantic City from the Hilton Corporation for $320 million; when completed in 1985, that hotel and casino became Trump Castle, and Trump's wife, Ivana, managed that property until Trump transferred her in 1988 to run the Trump Plaza Hotel in New York.[132][133]
The entrance of the Trump Taj Mahal, a casino in Atlantic City. It has motifs evocative of the Taj Mahal in India.
Entrance of the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City
Also in 1988, Trump acquired his third casino in Atlantic City, the Taj Mahal (then halfway through construction), by making a complex transaction with the television host and entertainer Merv Griffin as well as the resort and casino company Resorts International.[134] In October 1989, three of his top Atlantic City executives were killed in a helicopter accident, which both stymied and delayed the planned opening of the Taj Mahal.[135] The Taj finally opened in April 1990 and was built at a total cost of $1.1 billion, which at the time made it the most expensive casino ever.[136][137] The project was financed with $675 million in junk bonds[138] and was a major gamble by Trump.[139] The project underwent debt restructuring the following year,[140] leaving Trump with 50% ownership.[141] He also sold his 282-foot (86 m) megayacht, the Trump Princess, which had been indefinitely docked in Atlantic City while leased to his casinos for use by wealthy gamblers.[142][143]
In 1995, Trump founded Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts (THCR), which assumed ownership of Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, and the Trump Casino in Gary, Indiana.[144] THCR purchased Taj Mahal in 1996 and underwent bankruptcy restructuring in 2004 and 2009, leaving Trump with 10% ownership in the Trump Taj Mahal and other Trump casino properties.[145] From mid 1995 until early 2009, he served as chairman of the publicly-traded THCR organization—which was renamed Trump Entertainment Resorts—and served as CEO from mid 2000 to mid 2005.[146]
During the 1990s, Trump's casino ventures faced competition from Native American gaming at the Foxwoods casino located on an Indian reservation in Connecticut, where it was exempt from the state's anti-gambling laws. Trump stated in 1993 that the casino owners did not look like real Indians to him or to other Indians.[147] Subsequent to that well-publicized remark about the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, Trump became a key investor backing the Paucatuck Eastern Pequots, who were also seeking state recognition.[148]
Golf courses
A golf course. In the background is the Turnberry Hotel, a two-story hotel with white façade and a red roof. This picture was taken in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Turnberry Hotel and golf course, Ayrshire, Scotland
The Trump Organization operates many golf courses and resorts in the United States and around the world. According to Golfweek, Trump owns or manages about 18 golf courses.[149] His personal financial disclosure with the Federal Elections Commission stated that his golf and resort revenue for the year 2015 was roughly $382 million,[76][86] while his three European golf courses did not show a profit.[89]
In 2006, Trump bought 1,400 acres (570 ha), including the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and created a golf resort there.[150] Scottish supporters emphasized potential economic benefits, and opponents emphasized potential environmental harm to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[151][152][153] A spokesperson for the golf course has said