EDINBURGH — Great Scott!
That makes two times Donald Trump has been undone by COVID-19. Once in 2020 — and once in 2021.
Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in America — or lack thereof — might have cost him the 2020 presidential election.
Now Trump is being told by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that due to her country’s COVID-19 protocols, Air Force Two will not be allowed to land in Scotland on January 19 as requested.
The Donald, who was overwhelmingly defeated in November’s election, was reportedly considering traveling to his Turnberry golf resort to avoid Biden’s swearing-in to office on January 20.
But Scotland’s first minister stressed it is illegal to travel in or out of the country without a valid reason and said: “Coming to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose.”
The White House has repeatedly refused to say what the outgoing president will do when Biden is inaugurated, prompting speculation about whether Trump will attend the ceremony.
But Prestwick Airport has been told to expect the arrival of a U.S. military Boeing 757 aircraft previously used by Trump on January 19, according to the Sunday Post.
Asked about speculation that Mr Trump could travel to Scotland in order to avoid the inauguration, Ms Sturgeon said: “I have no idea what Donald Trump’s travel plans are, you’ll be glad to know.
“I hope and expect that — as everybody expects, not everybody necessarily will hope — that the travel plan immediately that he has is to exit the White House.
“But beyond that I don’t know.
“We are not allowing people to come in to Scotland without an essential purpose right now and that would apply to him, just as it applies to anybody else.
“Coming to play golf is not what I would consider to be an essential purpose.”
On Monday, Trump declared he would “fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency and appealed to Republican politicians to reverse his election loss when they convene this week to confirm the Electoral College vote.
Biden got 81,283,485 votes versus the incumbent president’s 74,223,744, a margin of more than seven million in the popular vote.