Final snub by Trump: Golf – not ceremony for Biden

DONALD TRUMP said he will not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president this month as the bitter nature of the handover of power escalated last night.

The US President, defeated in November’s election, tweeted yesterday to confirm he would break with tradition and not attend the January 20 ceremony for his successor.

As part of the tradition, the outgoing president and presidentelect would travel together to the ceremony at the Capitol from the White House.

However, the 74- year- old is reportedly considering travelling to his Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire as part of his efforts to avoid seeing Mr Biden being sworn into office.

Prestwick Airport has been told to expect the arrival on January 19 of a US military Boeing 757 aircraft previously used by Mr Trump, according to The Sunday Post.

But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stressed it is illegal to travel in or out of Scotland without a valid reason and said: “Coming to play golf is not what I would consider an essential purpose.”

Asked about the speculation earlier this week, she said: “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.”

Mr Biden won the presidency with 306 electoral college votes to Mr Trump’s 232 and will become president at noon local time on January 20.

The Democratic presidentelect received 81,283,485 votes as opposed to the incumbent’s 74,223,744.