Donald Trump

Trump Pressed Ambassador to Get British Open Held at His Golf Course, Ex-Official Says

The former official added that it was a waste of political capital because the British government has “zero influence” on where the Open is played

U.S. President Donald Trump, center, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, left, and Woody Johnson, U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, make their way to Marine One after arriving nat London Stansted Airport in Stansted, U.K., on Thursday, July 12, 2018. Trump will avoid London as much as possible as he's whisked off on a tour of prime British real estate to keep him away from protesters during his U.K. visit.
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV told multiple colleagues at the U.S. Embassy in London that President Donald Trump had asked him to see if the British government could help get the British Open to play at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland, a former State Department official with firsthand knowledge told NBC News.

The former official said the ambassador’s deputy twice told him not to make the request because it would be unethical, but that Johnson raised the issue with the British official responsible for Scotland during a 2018 meeting anyway.

The former official added that it was a waste of political capital because the British government has "zero influence" on where the Open is played, a decision that lies with the British equivalent of the PGA.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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