They're Back! Trump Can't Let Go Of Scottish Wind Farm Views

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It was last December that Donald Trump, then just a presidential candidate, lost his court battle to stop unsightly wind farms from being erected off the coast of Trump International in Aberdeen.

The loss prompted a real, live manspat between Trump and his one-time good buddy, former first minister Alex Salmond.

But the Trump Organisation hit back at Salmond in a pointed and characteristically colourful statement: “Does anyone care what this man thinks? He’s a hasbeen and totally irrelevant. The fact that he doesn’t even know what’s going on in his own constituency says it all ... He should go back to doing what he does best: unveiling pompous portraits of himself that pander to his already overinflated ego.”

Fast forward almost a year and president-elect Trump is holding meetings with a wide range of possible cabinet members and world leaders at Trump Tower. Including a meeting where he just couldn't pass up multiple chances to bend the ear of a British politician about...the wind farms. Caroline Wheeler reports for The Express.

Andy Whigmore, who was present at the meeting with Mr Trump, said: “We covered a lot of ground during the hour-long meeting we had.

“But one thing Mr Trump kept returning to was the issue of wind farms. He is a complete Anglophile and also absolutely adores Scotland which he thinks is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. But he is dismayed that his beloved Scotland has become over-run with ugly wind farms which he believes are a blight on the stunning landscape.”

EU’s communication’s chief added: “It is clear that it is an issue he is very passionate about and not because he is against renewable energy or green technology but because he genuinely thinks wind farms are damaging Scotland’s bountiful natural beauty.”

At issue should be the proximity of the farms to the coasts, as Trump is correct in lamenting their placement.  Check out this depiction, accompanying this Herald story. I'm not sure about the 1 mile from the coast claim (11-12 is the number I recall, but correct me if I'm wrong please).

Either way, as Danny Hakim and Eric Lipton of the New York Times note, the greater issue involves using his president-elect status to possibly improve business conditions for the Trump Organization.

Mr. Trump and his family’s blending of business and political interests and appearances have received increasing scrutiny during the transition. Since the election, he has met with Indian business partners and his new Washington hotel has become a destination for diplomats. His daughter Ivanka, an executive in the Trump Organization, sat in on a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, and her jewelry company promoted a $10,800 bracelet she wore during a postelection appearance with her father on “60 Minutes.”

Separately, one of Argentina’s most influential television programs reported on Sunday that during a congratulations call from President Mauricio Macri of Argentina after the election, Mr. Trump asked for Mr. Macri’s support for a project to build an office tower in Buenos Aires.

President-elect Trump responded to the news on Twitter.