On Thursday, Britain voted to leave the European Union. The vote, which was fueled in part by a xenophobic desire to limit immigration, is expected to take a severe toll on the British economy.
Donald Trump, visiting Scotland to celebrate the opening of his luxury golf course, cheered the result. He specifically argued that, by tanking the pound, it would make it cheaper for foreigners to visit his golf course.
“When the pound goes down, more people are coming to Turnberry, frankly,” Trump said.
Trump, when asked about British markets: “When the pound goes down, more people are coming to Turnberry, frankly” https://t.co/fO0a8HT57O
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) June 24, 2016
Trump’s comments highlight the unprecedented conflicts of interests that would come with a Trump presidency. He has said specifically that he does not intended to divest any of his assets should he be elected president. Instead, he will simply hand over day-to-day management to his kids.
“It’s hard to imagine complex diplomacy — how that would be complicated and altered by massive personal financial conflicts of interests being present at the same time?,” John Wonderlich, interim executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, told ThinkProgress earlier this month.
Beyond self-interest, Trump still seems very confused about Brexit. A few weeks ago, the likely Republican nominee was not familiar with the term “Brexit.”
Friday morning, Trump tweeted this:
Just arrived in Scotland. Place is going wild over the vote. They took their country back, just like we will take America back. No games!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2016
Scotland, however, overwhelmingly voted to remain in the European Union. Scottish leaders are considering holding a referendum to split from the U.K. so that they can rejoin the E.U.