TURNBERRY, Scotland — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump celebrated Britain’s stunning vote to leave the European Union on Friday during a visit to Scotland, saying that the people of the United Kingdom have “taken their country back" and musing that it could benefit his Turnberry golf resort.
“I think it’s a great thing that happened," Trump told reporters shortly after his helicopter landed at Trump Turnberry. “People are angry, all over the world. People, they’re angry.”
“When the pound goes down, more people are coming to Turnberry, frankly,” Trump added during an afternoon news conference. “For traveling and for other things, I think it very well could turn out to be a positive.”
His two-day visit to Scotland comes during a historic and tumultuous moment for Britain. Voters defied the political establishment Thursday by formally deciding to cut ties with the European Union. But in Scotland, a majority of voters backed staying in the E.U., a stark disconnect that prompted Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to suggest a second referendum on Scotland's membership in the United Kingdom. Trump seemed to not understand or care about this divide as he praised the Brexit vote on Friday.
[Live updates: Britain votes to leave the European Union]
The vote, which Trump called a "fantastic thing" and "historic," had immediate political and economic repercussions in Britain and around the world. The value of the British pound plummeted as stock markets sharply dropped globally. On Friday, Prime Minister David Cameron announced his intention to resign after waging a failed campaign to remain in the E.U.
“They’re angry over borders. They’re angry over people coming into the country and taking over. Nobody even knows who they are,” Trump said, echoing the populist pitch he has made in the United States. “They’re angry about many, many things. They took back control of their country. It’s a great thing.”
Voters in Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain in the E.U. but were outnumbered by voters in England and Wales. The sharp division could give new life to a push in Scotland for independence.
[Trump’s top example of foreign experience: A Scottish golf course losing millions]
On Friday morning, Trump attended an opening ceremony at Trump Turnberry, his luxury resort on Scotland's western coast, and he is expected to also visit a golf resort he owns near Aberdeen on the eastern coast. Scotland is the birthplace of his mother, who emigrated to New York as a teenager.
Trump briefly mentioned the historic vote at the beginning of his remarks before pivoting sharply to discussing the golf resort and the steps his family took to overhaul the grounds. Marking the formal opening of the golf course, Trump said it was in honor of his mother and his children; he later added that he took time away from his presidential campaign to attend the opening in order to support his children, who took charge of the resort's renovation.
“I think it’s going to be one of the great hotels of the world. It already was, but it was in somewhat dilapidated shape,” Trump said. “We have something that is very special.”
Reporters pressed Trump on the Brexit vote during a question-and-answer session after remarks by Trump and two of his children. When asked if he was traveling with his foreign policy advisers or consulting them, Trump said that he has been in contact with them but "there's nothing to talk about."
“I really do see a parallel between what’s happening in the United States and what’s happening here,” Trump told reporters. “You just have to embrace it; it’s the will of the people."
When asked a few weeks ago about the referendum by the Hollywood Reporter, Trump seemed to not understand the question at first.
"Huh?" Trump said in the interview, which was published on June 1.
"Brexit," reporter Michael Wolff repeated a second time.
"Hmm," Trump said.
"The Brits leaving the E.U.," Wolff prompted.
"Oh yeah, I think they should leave," Trump said.
The morning started quietly in the tiny village of Turnberry as dozens of reporters showed up at a muddy parking lot to be transported to Trump's resort about half a mile down the road. There was a cool wind off the Irish Sea, and the temperature hovered in the mid-50s.
Just ahead of Trump's arrival, guests and resort staff members wearing red caps lined up on the grand stairwell leading from the street to the resort on a hilltop perch. A handful of men wearing dark suits and ties stood watch at the resort's various driveways, but there was no heavy police presence as expected by locals — and is usually seen at Trump's political events in the United States. But unlike those rowdy rallies, this event featured two bagpipers.
Turnberry was built more than a century ago and purchased by Trump in 2014. The property has undergone extensive renovations and reopened June 1.
Most of the local coverage of Trump's arrival focused on the police's grand strategy to protect him during his visit, which the Daily Record described as "a ring of steel around Trump."
The journey is the latest example of the fuzzy, and sometimes invisible, line between Trump the presumptive GOP nominee and Trump the businessman — an arrangement that many ethics experts, including many fellow Republicans, view as inappropriate or worse. They say Trump should take formal steps to separate himself from his business and financial holdings, both domestic and foreign, as he seeks to enter the White House, just as Mitt Romney and other candidates have done.
Trump dismissed such criticism during the news conference.
At about 9:15 a.m., Trump's helicopter appeared in the cloudy Scottish sky. Down below were dozens of reporters and resort staff members. The white helicopter, with the word "Trump" written in bold red letters, landed on the grass in front of the crowd. The staff and resort guests burst into cheers as Trump stepped off the chopper and made his way inside, shouting out a few comments to reporters.
A handful of curious locals watched the spectacle, including one man with a pro-Trump sign who said that the millionaire has pumped money into the region.
About 20 minutes later, after everyone had gone inside to escape the cold, a bus filled with protesters from Glasgow pulled up. About 50 people disembarked and handed out pink and yellow signs reading: "No to racism. No to Trump." The group refused to stand inside a gated pen that police set up for them, instead insisting on lining the road in front of Turnberry. More than a dozen local police officers soon arrived, along with four on horseback. About 20 minutes later, two more buses pulled up, bringing the number of protesters to a couple hundred.
The protesters chanted a number of things, including "Trump go home!" and "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here!" An organizer on a megaphone belted out: "Trump always plays the racist card at all times!"
A man wearing a Turnberry sweater interrupted Trump as he began the news conference, handing out golf balls emblazoned with what appeared to be Nazi logos. He was promptly escorted out by security.
Mike Ross, 48, wore a T-shirt featuring Trump's face and this message: "Donald Trump, Making Ayrshire Great Again." He carried a sign with the same image and message. Ayrshire is a Scottish county.
"He has invested a load in this place," said Ross, who has gone back to school to study business.
Ross said he voted Thursday for Britain to leave the E.U. and that he was overjoyed to see the results on Friday morning. He said it was time for the country to have its own sovereignty and "rule ourselves," especially when it comes to issues such as immigration.
"I can't believe it," Ross said. "I have had a smile on my face all morning."
He also sees a number of parallels between the Thursday vote in Britain and the U.S. presidential election.
"I like him. I like the way he's changing politics and the stuffy political correctness," Ross said of Trump. "He's breaking all of the protocols. The leave vote was part of that. People are fed up."
As he talked with a reporter, a protester walked by and shouted: "Are you a racist as well, man?"
Andre Zaisluik, a 65-year-old retiree who lives about three miles from Trump's resort, ventured down the road to see the wealthy businessman's much-hyped arrival. Zaisluik said he did roadwork for 50 years and cannot afford to golf at Turnberry, but he appreciates all of the money Trump has put into renovating the resort.
"He has spent a lot of money here. He has done wonders," Zaisluik said.
Zaisluik said that on Thursday he voted for Britain to remain in the E.U. — like most Scots — and he was surprised by the outcome of the vote. "I don't know what the future's going to be. I haven't a clue. There's a lot of fear-mongering," he said.
DelReal reported from Washington.