HE’S a famed and fierce critic of wind farms.
So much so, he once branded them ugly, noisy and dangerous at the Scottish Parliament in a bid to get them stopped off the coast of his exclusive Aberdeenshire golf course.
But it seems property mogul Donald Trump’s relationship with green energy is a bit more complicated than it would appear after it was revealed he’s invested in a wind farm firm.
The disclosure the 69-year-old business mogul owns shares in Nextera Energy Inc who claim to be one of the world’s largest generators of wind power is revealed in paperwork he gave to the authorities last week as part of his bid to become the next President of the United States.
All candidates are required to make a financial disclosure to the Federal Election Commission.
The news of his green energy investment will be embarrassing for his camp as his Presidential bid surges ahead in the polls.
Just two months ago the billionaire whose mum comes from the Isle of Lewis flew into Scotland to open his new £250 million golf resort in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, after buying the historic course.
He used the occasion to claim former First Minister Alex Salmond was bent on destroying “some of the great beauty of the world” with his backing for wind farms.
But the revelation he had given his own backing to wind farms was seized upon by his critics.
Last night, Patrick Harvie, Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow who has frequently butted heads with Mr Trump over the issue of wind farms said: “I’m not at all surprised.”
The 90-page list of business dealings Trump gave to the FEC showed how big his financial holdings are. It showed he holds board or executive positions with more than 500 separate companies and partnerships.
But it failed to disclose exactly how much he was worth.
Under NextEra Energy Inc, for example, it listed the value of the shares as ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.
The Florida-based firm say on their website that they are the “No. 1 in North America in renewable energy from the wind and sun”.
But Trump’s camp has distanced themselves from any claims of hypocrisy.
They said an investment company acted on Mr Trump’s behalf.
A spokesman for the tycoon said: “The report clearly states that ‘Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management A/C 1 Brokerage Acct Holdings’ manages
a portion of Mr Trump’s money and independently makes investments on his behalf.
“These types of investments and the specific stocks chosen by Deutsche are done without Mr Trump’s knowledge or involvement.”
The tycoon has recently claimed he is worth $10 billion roughly £6.5 billion.
Some US political commentators claimed Trump would drop out of the presidential race before filing the disclosure.
But he has said his willingness to submit the form should be taken as
a sign of the seriousness of his campaign.
The New York Times reported the FEC disclosure showed Trump earned at least $9.5 million in royalties last year for “merely licensing his name”.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe